Forsaken Spectrum
by theaznkidtvo
Summary: The greatest hero of his time was ambushed and murdered in a small desert town called End Province. Twenty years later, his son sets off to avenge his death. (Alternate reality of Magic Blade).
1. Prologue - Crimson Sand

The room was devoid of any color ... except black!

Even the rays of the evening sun were transformed into a deathly gray.

Before the evening sun had started to set, she was already kneeling down in front of the black shrine.

Black curtains were hung throughout. No one could see who or what was being worshipped and no one could see what her face was like.

She wore a black veil over her face. The ends of her long black robe were scattered in disarray over the floor. The only thing that leaked out were a pair of old, shriveled claw-like hands.

Her hands were held together as she quietly recited a chant. But she was not praying for luck or good fortune. Rather, she was invoking a curse.

She cursed the gods, cursed the world, and cursed every single thing between the heavens and earth.

A young man clothed in black knelt motionlessly behind her. It seemed as if he had been by her side since ancient times. In fact, he appeared very much ready to kneel beside her until the end of the world.

The evening sun shined down onto his face. His facial features were handsome and prominent, but they appeared to be made of ice from the tops of a faraway mountain.

The setting sun quickly grew weak and insipid. The howling winds cried out as it blew clouds of desert sand across the sky.

Suddenly, she stood up and tore apart the black curtains in front of the shrine. She took into her hands a small ebony black box.

Could it be that this was what she had been worshipping? She grasped on to the black box with all her might, muscles and tendons bulged out of her hands as she shook uncontrollably.

A sabre rested on the altar. Its scabbard was ebony black. Its hilt was wrapped in a tattered black cloth.

She suddenly took the sabre and cut the black box in half.

There was nothing inside except for a heap of powdery red dust.

She took a handful into her hand and said, "Do you know what this is?"

Nobody would know - except for her, nobody could possibly know!

"It is ... it is sand!"

Her voice was sharp and bitter, like the cry of a lost soul in the stormy night.

"When you were born, the sand was red ... stained crimson with blood!"

The young man in black lowered his head.

She walked up to him and sprinkled the crimson sand over his head.

"You must remember that from this day forth you are a god ... the God of Vengeance! No matter what you choose to do, do with no regrets. No matter how you decide to punish them, it will be deserved." A mysterious confidence surged through her voice, as if all the demons and spirits between the heavens and earth had been summoned into the specks of red dust in her hands that were being applied to the young man in black. Then she lifted both her palms into the air and loudly proclaimed, "For this one moment, I've spent twenty years raising you! And now that everything has been completely prepared, why haven't you left yet?"

The young man in black lowered his head and replied, "I ..."

She took the sabre and stabbed it down into the ground in front of him.

"Hurry up and go! Use this sabre to sever every single one of their heads! Don't return unless you've succeeded, or else the heavens will curse you, and I will curse you as well!"

The winds were howling.

She watched as he slowly mounted his horse, pulled a black hood over his head, and ventured out into the black night. His figure slowly melded into the swirling clouds of sand.

The sabre in his hand also melded into the black night.

The entire world was blanketed by sand, blown viciously by the wind.

"Kill them all, my son"


	2. Chapter 1 - Border Pavilion

A leaf fluttered in the wind as it drifted far and near, it could no longer remember from where it came and it had no idea to where the winds would blow.

Wasn't life so very like that leaf? Who could claim they knew what fate had planned for us?

So why even worry about the future?

If the leaf knew its fate, it would hold no hate. For it already had its time to be admired, it already had its time to shine.

And that was more than enough.

Surrounded by an unending barren wasteland, a structure stood in the middle of the desert. The afternoon sun finally began to come out, after a long stormy night, lighting the structure like a diamond in the rough. The skies accompanied the yellow sand, yellow sand accompanied the skies.

Kyanos had seemingly come from the ends of the earth.

He followed a straight path, knowing not where it would lead. He sat down right on the ground and lifted up his feet.

The boots on his feet were made of leather, the kind that the nomadic herders of the desert wore. Those boots were exactly like the herders that wore them, light enough to be blown away by the wind, yet durable enough to withstand toil and labor.

But by now, the bottom of his boots had been worn into large holes, and the soles of his feet were battered and bloodied. He looked at his wounds and shook his head in disgust, as if he was disappointed not with the pair of boots but with his own two feet.

"How come these feet of mine get scraped just like everyone else's?"

He scooped up a handful of sand and poured it into the holes in his boots.

"Since you're so useless, I'm going to make you endure some more pain and suffering."

He stood straight up so that the sand could grind into the wounds on the soles of his feet.

And after that he smiled.

His smile was like a penetrating ray of sunshine, matching the sun's light, piercing through the cloud of sand.

The lamp swung back and forth in the wind.

A gust blew through and swept up a withered leaf into the air. He reached out and grabbed it.

The leaf was almost completely bare, with almost nothing remaining perched on its lonely stem.

He brushed off his garments, which should've long been sent to the trash, and carefully planted the old leaf into one of the holes on his shirt.

He was acting like a well-dressed nobleman who was putting the finishing touches on an exquisite robe by adorning it with a beautiful red flower.

When he was done, he looked like he was very satisfied with himself.

He let out another smile.

The doors were closed.

He lifted his head and chest, walked over and pushed open the doors.

It appeared to be a small inn. Inside was very quiet, with only a few people occupying the space.

He walked straight for the table in the corner to take a well, deserved rest. As he took a seat, a group of men loudly entered the restaurant. It was a young swordsman clothed in purple, accompanied by five guards. He had a slender waist and broad shoulders. His sword was gilded with brilliant lustrous jewels, its sheathe was purplish red and matched his outfit perfectly.

They sat down as one of the guards yelled for wine.

Kyanos was very curious as to whom this character could be.

As the young man took a sip of wine, he spat it out, and yelled "What is this piece of shit wine?!"

The server immediately ran out to apologize. The young man slammed the glass on the ground and asked "Do you know who I am?". The waiter kept his head down as he shook it. The young man stood up and shouted, "I am Brutus of the Amethyst family! My father is one of the greatest heroes alive! How dare you serve me this piss?!".

The waiter scurries away as the guards threatened him to bring something edible to the table. Brutus sat down, putting on a very confident smile, knowing that all eyes were on him.

Kyanos, smiled as he was quite amused about the conversation they were having. Brutus spoke of his father sending him to the Temple of Heroes to marry Scarlett Greyfell. She is supposedly the most beautiful woman in all of the region. They all laughed, pervertedly, at the thought of her. He mentioned although it would be great to have the most beautiful rose, he would rather one-hundred flowers.

At that moment, a woman walked through the door. She wore a veil over her nose and mouth, so you couldn't see much of her face. Brutus was pleased with what he saw and signals to his guards, who quickly surrounded her. Everyone in the place ignored her cries for help. They were too scared to speak up or take action as two of the guards dragged her away into one of the rooms. "Well... now I have dessert for later", Brutus laughed, menacingly.

In the room, they gagged her with a cloth, tied her up and left.

She could do nothing but wait for her fate. Tears began to run down her face as she heard a creaking noise. Kyanos, hopped through the window, put his finger to his lips and shushed her. "I'm here to help you", he smiled. Her tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy. Kyanos paused before he untied her, "but I'm going to need something in return."

* * *

Brutus had finally finished his meal. He walked into the room with a straw in his mouth, drunk on the wine he claimed to have detested. The woman sat on the bed and was very calm, not saying a word. He giggled, as he stumbled toward her, taking off his belt. "Today I will use my Amethyst Swordsmanship to take good care of you", he laughed, throwing himself onto her. He ripped the veil on her face, revealing Kyanos, making a kissy face, under the disguise.

Brutus jumped away at the sight of a man in his bed. Kyanos hopped out of the bed, imitating the voice of a woman, "but mister, weren't you going to show me your swordsmanship?"

Very upset, Brutus' gripped the handle of his sword and swiftly unsheathed it.

He swung the blade, but Kyanos moved to the side and pinned the sword to the ground with his foot. Brutus pulled and pulled but could not get the sword to budge.

"Why you-", Brutus throws a punch, which Kyanos caught with his hand, followed by a slap to the face.

Brutus' face fell into disbelief as no one had dared to hit him before. He attempted to call for his guards, but before he could get a word out, Kyanos pulls out a piece of bread from behind his back and shoved it into Brutus' mouth. Then tosses him over his shoulder, through the table in the middle of the room.

Still holding his face, the bread falls from Brutus' mouth as he lands on his ass, and he starts to cry.

Kyanos squats next to him, smiles and pats his head, "I have big plans for you". He grabs Brutus by the collar and leaps out the window.

Hearing all the commotion, the guards busted into the room, confused as to why it was empty.

In an abandoned house, nearby, Brutus was tied to a post.

Kyanos was digging a hole with an old, broken shovel.

"Who are you?! Wait until my father hears of this! He'll dice you up and feed you to the dogs!", Brutus threatened.

Kyanos, walked over to Brutus saying, "Sorry Sir Amethyst, but whenever I do a good deed, I never reveal my name" wiping mud onto Brutus' face.

"I will stab you one-hundred times, I swear!" Brutus yelled in disgust. Kyanos smirks and said "Don't worry, I'll be gentle".

Walking away from the scene, Kyanos was wearing the purple outfit originally worn by Brutus. "This disguise should do just fine" he said, as he smiled confidently, mocking Brutus' mannerisms.

Immediately he bumps into a young lady, who was wearing all yellow.

"I've finally found you!", she excitedly announced.

Confused, Kyanos asked, "Uhh... . ...do I know you?"

With a big smile on her face, she replied "You don't know me, but I know you."

She listed some of the things that he has done, which included drawing a beard on the emperor of the East Region while he was sleeping, burning holes through the clothes of the wicked prince of the Central Region, replacing a corrupted tax collector's cosmetics with white pepper, and a few more.

He laughed, recalling all of the things she mentioned.

She continued to rant, "You don't greed for fortune or lust for beautiful women, but you enjoy messing with the rich and powerful as you travel the lands. Your name is Kyanos."

Kyanos smiles and replied "You've said so much about me... but who are you?"

"I'm just an admirer... please allow me to come along with you as you travel the lands", she stated, blushing with a cute smile.

"Just one thing", Kyanos replied.

* * *

In a small forest on the edge of the desert. The girl stands with a peach on top of her head and her arms straight out to her sides. She smiled, but looked very nervous as she struggled to stay motionless.

Kyanos, holding a throwing knife, "You know, I haven't practiced my knife throwing stunt in a while. Good thing you came along. Don't move. Once the knife leaves my hand it could kill you. This is no joke."

The look on her face grew even more nervous. She promises not to move.

Kyanos, once again warns her not to move, raising the knife as if he is ready to throw it.

She shut her eyes tight.

Nothing happened.

She peeks out at Kyanos. He was thinking to himself.

He then tells her that he can't risk her moving around, then it would be dangerous, suggesting she be tied up. That way she won't move.

Not wanting to disappoint her hero, she smiles and agrees, "It's up to you".

After tying her to a nearby tree, he puts the knife away, removes the peach from her head and takes a bite from it.

"Now... tell me... Who are you?", he asked, throwing the peach over his shoulder.

She giggles reluctantly, "Me?... I'm just the daughter of a farmer."

He smiles and says "If you don't tell me who you are... then how about I tell you?"

He studies her for a few seconds then commented at a very fast pace, "Even though your clothes are simple, old and dirty, the fabric is made of high quality material. The daughter of a normal family would never wear such expensive clothes. Your hair is shiny and bright, but now it is slighty fading to brown, meaning you lived somewhere rich in rain water. But because you've come north, to the Central region, where the where the terrain is alot more dry, you're becoming a bit dehydrated. Through the deserts there were a lot of bandits waiting to steal horses and rations. A cute girl, travelling alone would be just their type. Yet you remained unharmed, proving you have impressive martial arts skills."

She let out a big smile, blushed and looked down.

He concludes, "A wealthy family with a martial arts background, located in the southern region. Also, I heard news of the youngest daughter of the Blaine family of heroes, recently ran away from home."

She looked up at him, very impressed.

He pokes her on the forehead, "Did I guess right... Aurelia Blaine?"

"Go home, your big brother, Alamar is probably very anxious", he added

Amazed, she commented, "Wow... If my hands weren't tied up I'd definitely applaud you."

With his knowledge of the world, not many things can be hidden from his eyes.

Aurelia adds, "I want to discuss something with y-".

He cuts her off, "No discussion needed."

She frowns, "Please. I've admired you for so long, all that I ask is that you take me with you on your journey."

He tells her to give up and walks away, leaving her tied to the tree.

"Hey get back here. I'm furious!", she yells as he disappears from sight.

* * *

Outside of a small town, a group of thirty-six women wearing all black, with a veil covering their nose and mouth stood in formation.

Before them stood four more women wearing red.

A horse gallops from a distance, leaving a cloud of desert sand in its trail. Riding the horse was a woman wearing a light blue robe. Her mouth and nose were covered by a thin light blue veil. She had a very cold look in her eyes.

As the woman arrived on the scene. All of the women in black got down on one knee to greet her. One of the women in red stepped forward to update her status. "With the rumor of some groups coming together to assassinate Master Greyfell, we have successfully eliminated the threats."

The woman in light blue had no reaction, but replied "What of the witnesses?"

The lady in red added, "We've taken care of them, ma'am", stepping back into her line.

"What a shame. To think Master Greyfell spared their lives. After all these years, they hadn't given up," the woman in blue commented.

"You've all done well... Master Greyfell has left the province, so it is our duty to keep it clean. No matter the stain.", she added.

She then notices that there are four of her red-ranked assassins instead of five. "I sent Maple on a mission weeks ago, she should've been back by now. Find out her location."

The women in red dropped to one knee, joining the rest. "Yes ma'am", they replied in unision.

* * *

Kyanos had just arrived in a town called End Province. Welcoming him was a large structure, with a sign saying "Border Pavillion".

Many different kinds of people frequented this place, people of every class and every type.

It was a very strange place indeed

It was late into the wretched Autumn months, but the warmth and fervor of this place made it seem like Spring was in the air.

It was deep into the gloomy night, but inside it was still as bright as the sun in the afternoon sky.

This wasn't a liquor store, but there was plenty of wine.

This place wasn't a casino, but there was plenty of gambling.

This place wasn't a brothel, but there were women willing to satisfy your every wish.

It was the most popular place in the vicinity of a hundred miles. In the main hall there were eighteen tables laid out. You could sit at any one of those tables and enjoy the best dishes they had to offer - but if you wanted to enjoy something more, you'd have to open one of the doors.

There were eighteen doors surrounding the main hall.

No matter which door you chose, you wouldn't regret it, and you wouldn't be disappointed.

The music was of ancient Indian decent. It was fast paced and energetic.

A group of men hoisted a platform down the main stairs at the end of the large hall. On top of the platform laid a woman. The same woman whom wore the light blue robe. But now she is wearing a light blue belly dancing outfit, exposing her perfectly toned mid-section.

This time her face was uncovered. She was very beautiful, with lips as red as a rose and gorgeous fair skin that shined like a goddess'. Her hair was long and black, reaching past her lower back.

The men set down the platform in the center of the hall and seemingly vanished. Immediately, a group of female dancers surrounded the platform, covering up all sight of the woman.

The dancers formed a circle and uniformly bent backwards.

The beautiful woman rose from the center, flipping her hair from front to back as if she were submerged in a warm bath.

Every eye in the room was on her, every man, every woman, everything in between.

Every pair of eyes, but one. A lavishly but neatly dressed middle-aged man.

He sat alone at that table at the top of the stairs, looking over the main hall, entertaining himself with a set of dominoes.

Rarely did anyone ever see him do anything else. The chair that he sat on was comfortable and spacious. On both sides of the chair were two wheels made of red lumber, it was a wheelchair.

He paid very little attention as everyone came and went. He rarely even bothered to lift his head to take a glance.

Everything that everyone did seemed to be of no interest to him at all.

Yet, it turns out that he was really the proprietor of this place.

A strange and mysterious place will often have a strange and mysterious owner.

At a small table in the corner, a group of men spoke of how beautiful the woman in light blue was. They hear her name is Azura, the treasure of the Border Pavillion. She entertains only with her art and not her body.

One of the men replied "Bullshit!... Tonight, she will be mine." They all laughed.

Kyanos enters the building, still dressed in the purple robe. He walked and smiled very arrogantly, trying to stay in character as Brutus Amethyst.

For the first time for what seemed like ages, the proprietor looked up, curious to whom just entered into his pavilion.

Taking a seat, Kyanos quickly caught the attention of Azura. With her eyes, she signaled to one of the dancers, who then broke from the dance circle. The dancer poured two cups of wine and sat next to Kyanos.

"Hi. I am Willow", she introduced herself. "Young sir, you don't seem familiar, is this your first time here?" She asked politely.

He smiled, commenting on her sharp eyes and asked if he made it to End Province.

She handed him a cup of wine and answered, "Once you drink this cup of wine, you will arrive at End Province". Which he gladly accepted.

They crossed arms and sipped the cup of wine.

Azura stared intently at the cup of wine as Kyanos took a sip of it.

He spits it out. "How dare this province use this cheap wine to welcome me!", slamming the cup into the table.

He talked loudly as if everyone else was deaf, it'd be difficult for anyone there not to hear him. And it'd be impossible not to get upset once you heard those words.

The music, the dancers, the gambling, the drinking, everything froze into silence.

Several people had already risen to their feet and some even unsheathed their swords. "You looking for trouble brat?!", someone yelled out.

Kyanos finds entertainment through provoking people. So, he replied with a smirk, "Where did this stray dog come from? You dare to meddle in my business?"

A man charged at Kyanos, blade in hand.

At that moment a strange voice filled the large hall, "Everyone!"

The voice was soft and gentle, but everyone heard it very clearly.

The person sounded like they were speaking right into your ear but was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, everyone saw the magnificently and neatly dressed middle-aged man, the proprietor.

He rolls his chair down the hall, making his way between Kyanos and the man. "Let's talk it out", he says.

He continues, "I wondered why my little inn was radiating like a star in the sky. Turns out we have an honored guest. My guess is this talented young man is the eldest son of the Amethyst family, Brutus Amethyst. Apologies for neglecting your presence."

Kyanos put on a prideful smile, "Bastards! To not recognize me, The Young Master!" He places his foot on the table, "Do you believe I will report you to my father-in-law, the big boss of the Temple of Heroes, Bronze Greyfell?!... He'll come dice all of you up!"

Azura looked away. The dancers all looked at one another as everyone took their seats.

Kyanos laughed loudly, "Look how frightened you all are. But don't worry I, Brutus Amethyst, have a wedding coming up. So, I won't argue. In fact, all your food and drinks are on me tonight!"

He pulled out several gold pieces he had stolen from Brutus, earlier in the day, and tosses it on the table.

The music starts back up, everyone applauds to drinking and eating for free.

In all of the excitement, Kyanos was the only who seemed to notice the young man wearing black enter through the front door. A sabre was in his hand. An ebony black sabre in a pale white hand.

His pale white face contrasted a pair of ebony black eyes.

The waiter was stopping him, telling him that the rooms overbooked.

He walked right by the waiter as if he didn't see or hear him.

He walked very slowly. His face void of any expression.

As he walked by a smile escaped from Kyanos' eyes, as if he were very satisfied in what he saw.

The waiter followed him to the table, explaining that there are no rooms left. He handed the waiter a pearl, requesting water and an order of noodles.

The sabre in his hand caught the eye of Azura. She pulled aside the dancer from earlier, Willow, to discuss the threat at hand.

Willow was Azura's right hand, her closest and most trusted assassin.

Willow states, "The odds of him being harmless are about 80%. Chances are the kid is just a tourist."

Azura saw a different look in his eyes and disagrees, "I'll handle this personally."

He was eating a meal. He had a mouthful of noodles and then a mouthful of vegetables. He ate even slower than he walked because he only had one hand to spare.

His right hand was glued to his sabre. No matter what he did, that hand never left its hilt.

His black sabre, his black robes, his black pupils, were black enough to radiate light.

Azura sat down next to him with a bottle of wine and pours him a cup. "You're here alone?... here have a cup of wine and relax," she says, handing him the cup.

Void of any emotion, he replied, "I don't drink wine".

She pouted, stroking his long black hair, "But it would be so boing if you don't drink".

"I came to stay at the inn. Not meet women", he said.

He spoke very slowly, as if he had carefully thought about each and every word before it came out because he was willing to carry the burden of every word he said.

So he never liked to utter a single wrong word.

She glanced at his saber and reached for it, "Your sword-".

He pulled the sabre away, toward his body.

She sighed and began to ask him questions. She asked for his name, where he came from, what are his plans.

He didn't lift his head even once, this whole time, and he didn't stop what he was doing.

After he had finished the last noodle, he glanced up at Azura. She smiles and wraps her hands around his arm, "Well... will you answer any of my questions?"

Slowly, he responded, "You ask so many questions... I couldn't remember them all."

She leans close to his face, "Then tell me... what is your name?"

"My name... is Crimson," he replied.

Just as Crimson finished his statement, a fight broke out between the men at the corner table, all claiming Azura was his for the night.

The largest of the men, quickly knocked the other men onto the ground. "Who else has the guts to come forward?!", he exclaims.

He walks towards Azura and Crimson. "Miss Azura, you should know who to accompany tonight", he stated arrogantly.

"Ofcourse I do. I will stay here and accompany Sir Crimson", she replied.

He grabs her by the hand, attempting to pull her away. "You've got to be kidding me!", he yells as she pulls her hand back to Crimson's side.

"I'm not messing with you... the one with the higher martial arts is who I will accompany tonight", she stated calmly.

Crimson, stared blankly ahead of him, not once paying any attention to the surrounding conflicts.

The large man started laughing loudly, everyone in the hall started laughing as well.

He removes the large golden axe he had strapped to his back, "You mean all I have to do is to defeat this little punk?"

"Lets get this over with. Pull out your sword!", the man says, with haste.

She turns to Crimson, "Sir Crimson, this person is scary. Please take me away."

Still looking straight ahead, Crimson replies "Miss, it seems tonight, that you will be taken away by someone." His face still bare of any expression.

Pulling herself tight against Crimson's arm. "If that's how it will be, I hope that someone is you", she tells him, softly.

The man kicks the table out of the way. "Kid! Do you know who I am?"

Crimson does not respond.

The man hoists the large axe over his shoulder and proudly asks, "Have you ever heard of the Decapitator?"

Crimson paused, before responding, "Never heard of it."

"Here I thought you were a skilled fighter. But you're just an idiot," the man laughs. The place roared with laughter.

The man turned to the proprietor, demanding that he throw this person out, since there are no rooms left. He listed two options that would spare Crimson's life: Leave the pavilion and never coming back or fight him, win and take his room.

He walks over and raises Crimson off the seat into the air by the collar, yellng, "Say something, punk-"

His statement was cut short, as he noticed Crimson's eyes.

Although they were as black as the night sky, it felt as though they were glowing red with hatred.

"One moment!", a voice yelled out from across the room.

It was Kyanos, pushing the wheelchair of the proprietor in circles. The proprietor held on tight to the arms rests of the chair, as he is starting to become nauseous.

Kyanos let go of the wheelchair, letting it roll away in a random direction and marches toward Crimson.

By then the man had placed Crimson back on the ground, his face appeared a bit jarred.

Kyanos put a hand on both of their shoulders. He turns to Crimson and says, "Who says there are no rooms left in the Border Pavilion for Sir Crimson?".

Then turning to the large man and smiles, "You shouldn't look down on people."

Then he turns to the proprietor, who is being pushed by one of the dancers back toward them. The propietor looked as though he was catching breath and still was gripping the arm rests of his wheelchair.

"The proprietor, here, says if Crimson doesn't mind, my suite has an extra room. You can stay there for the night", Kyanos pointed out.

The proprietor answered with a nod and a smile.

* * *

Crimson, sat at the table in the suite, motionless, his cold black pupils stared seemingly into nothingness. Although was relaxed enough to place the sabre onto the table.

Kyanos busts into the room with a bottle of wine and sits across from Crimson.

"Who would have thought that in such a remote town, they would have such fine liquor", he says, pouring two cups.

"Here try some", he holds the cup up to Crimson.

Crimson glanced up at Kyanos.

Kyanos' smile was as bright as the sun.

Not even the single trace of a smile could be found on the pale white face of Crimson. After a long while, he replied, "I don't drink wine."

"Wine is a good thing. It relieves stress and its good for blood circulation. More importantly, it's good for making friends", Kyanos said.

"I don't drink wine", Crimson repeated.

Kyanos has met plenty of interesting people in his life, none of which refused drink wine yet still remained a thing of interest.

"Today I'm definitely making you my friend", Kyanos announces proudly.

"Why?", Crimson asked.

"Why? Because I think that you're very pleasing to the eyes." Kyanos let out a sigh and added, "Besides you, I don't find anyone here pleasing at all."

Crimson lowered his eyes and stared at his hands.

It was a habit of his when he didn't want to open his mouth.

"Are you willing to be friends?" Kyanos asked.

Crimson kept on staring at is hands.

"This is your one and only chance. It'll be a pity if you let this chance pass." Kyanos said, jokingly.

Crimson finally lifted his head and slowly said, "It wouldn't be a pity."

Kyanos let out a hearty laugh and remarked, "You're really someone that has his charms."

"I don't make friends. After tonight, you won't see me again", Crimson said, still having a cold emotionless look on his face.

Kyanos smiled and asks, "But you've travelled so far from the Northern Deserts. Are you leaving so soon?"

Crimson looks up, away from his hands and slowly responds, "How did you know I was from the Northern Deserts?"

Kyanos looks at Crimson's black outfit. "Well, on the inside of your hood, there are traces of orange sand. In this central region desert, the sand is yellow. That only means that you crossed the border from the Northern Desert where the sand is orange in color. When you paid for your food, you used a pearl, which is uncommon in the Central Region, but is actually the main source of currency in the Nothern Region.

The cold look in Crimson's eyes showed no signs of being impressed. "You have good eyes", he said, very slowly.

Kyanos replies, "There's one thing I don't understand. You've seemingly spent all your money. Where can you go from here?"

"That's none of your business", Crimson answered.

Kyanos smirks, "Actually... The thing I care about most... is your sword."

Kyanos' curiosity had been piqued earlier when Crimson refused to allow Azura to touch his sabre. He quickly reaches for the sabre on the table, meeting Crimson's hand, which seemingly got there first.

They have a scuffle over the sabre.

"Come on. Just a peek." Kyanos says, as he struggles to grab the sword.

Crimson counters all of Kyanos' attempts to grab the sabre. Then suddenly raises the scabbard up to Kyanos' neck.

The room became silent.

"My sabre is not for seeing." Crimson gets up and slowly disappears into the dark room, across the hall, sliding the door closed behind him.

Kyanos smiled. "If you won't let me see it, then I will definitely take a look at that sword."

* * *

It was an hour before sun rise.

Azura was in her room, resting in silence. She had changed into an elegant light blue robe and had removed all of her make-up.

Her hair was tied half up, in the back, there was a light blue jade hair pin sticking out of it.

Unlike her wardrobe, this hair pin, did not appear so elegant. It was clearly old, but seemed to have been polished quite often. At the top end of the pin was the shape of a sea shell.

"What's the report?", she asked as small team of assassins silently entered her room.

There were four black-ranked assassins and one red, Willow.

Willow stepped forth to report, "Brutus Amethyst mentioned that he was to be married. He must be too excited and can't sleep because he is pacing back and forth outside the pavilion, leaving the man in black, Crimson, alone in the suite."

Azura's eyes remained very calm, as she turned to the black-ranked assassins and ordered them to prepare the attack.

In unision they say "Yes" and leave the room.

Willow continues, "We have scoured the entirety of Border Province, there appears to be no more suspicious outsiders."

"Very good. Perhaps I was just being overly cautious", Azura replies, sighing in relief.

At that moment another red ranked assassin sprints into the room. Gasping for air, she brought a message, "Sister Azura, we've received a parcel."

Azura appeared very shocked to hear that.

Azura and the four red-ranked assassins rode their horses through the dark deserts. All that seemed to produce light was a single lantern held by the assassin who was leading the way.

They arrived to a secluded area, where a large wooden box laid atop the desert sand.

They dismounted their horses and approached the box cautiously. The lantern, at this point appeared to be lighting nothing but the box.

"Open it", Azura tells them. Two of the assassins lift the lid, much too easily, and set it on the ground.

Azura, walks up to the open box, seeing nothing but a cloud of blackness inside.

She turned and signal for the lantern. She grabbed the lantern and quickly shined the bright yellow light into the box.

There, laid the corpse of a woman. A dagger, had been horizontally stabbed into her abdomen. Her eyes remained wide open, revealing her lifeless, grey pupils. She also had a very thick layer of red color over her lips.

One of the assassins screamed and dropped to her knees.

"Maple!", Willow cried out.

Azura's eyes mourned the lifeless body of her companion. "Maple... you've finally come back", she said.

One of the assassins angrily remarks, "Who would do this?!... We have to find them and make them suffer!"

"Everyone stay calm. It is not what it seems", Azura said, pulling out a dagger from her side.

She took the dagger and stabbed at Willow, who quickly moved backwards to avoid contact.

"What is the meaning of this?", Willow replied.

Azura still held the dagger in the extended position. "Anyone skilled with a dagger holds the blade vertically", she said.

The others see that the blade in her hand is vertical but are puzzled to the point of the statement.

"Maple is one of our most skilled fighters, whomever had the ability to kill her surely would have held the blade vertically. Yet the blade was inserted horizontally into her abdomen", Azura explained.

"This wasn't a murder, this was a suicide."

"You're saying she did this to herself? Why would she do this?", one of them cried out.

Azura explained to them, if a person who is alive and wanted to travel a great distance to End Province, it is no easy task. The journey would be harsh and they would even encounter bandits. The one thing that even bandits stay clear of: caskets. Nothing more you can steal from the dead, even bandits respect that.

"So why would Maple be willing to throw her life away to get back here?" one of the assassins asked.

"She must've had a very important message to tell us", Azura responded, reaching out to the corpse's face.

"Maple never liked wearing cosmetics. Yet she went through the trouble of coloring her lips red", Azura said pulling a crumbled piece of paper from the inside of the corpse's mouth.

The note read: "15 years ago, the heroes of the world gathered and extinguished the largest organization of evil, The Demon Sector. But it wasn't completely destroyed. A highly skilled member of The Demon Sector has already arrived in the End Province from the Northern Desert. His aim is the Temple of Heroes as well as the entire legion of heroes."

All stunned by the message. Willow asks, "What now?"

Azura's eyes were no longer calm. They were filled with frustration.

"Willow, make sure Maple has a proper burial."

"The rest of you, move out!", she commanded.

They mounted their horses and retreated back to End Province to investigate a threat larger than any they've ever faced.


	3. Chapter 2 - Intruder at End Province

Back at the Border Pavilion it was quiet, for the sun has yet to rise.

In an eerie hallway, a shadowy figure descends from the ceiling, making its way toward the door of the room Crimson is residing in.

"I have to see that sword", the figure whispers, adjusting the mask on his face.

Cracking the door open, he peeks inside.

"Seems quiet enough." He steps into the room, immediately noticing a figure in yellow. He screams "ROBBERY!"

With a stick, the figure in yellow proceeds to beat him continuously.

"I'll beat you to death, intruder!", the figure in yellow screamed. It was the voice of a young woman. Aurelia Blaine, to be exact.

He runs and jumps into the bed, yelling in fear.

"Let's see where you can run!" Aurelia yelled, holding out the stick in front of her.

He begins throwing the pillows at her, one by one, all the while yelling for his life.

"How dare you throw things at me?!", she angrily yelled. She hops on the bed and continues to hit the him with the stick.

He tries to hide under the blanket, but she grabs him by the leg. She yells, "Rob me, will you?! Get down here!". He tries holding onto the bed for dear life as she dragged him to the ground.

She raises the stick over her head, going for the final blow. "Stop! Stop! It's me... It's me", he quickly removes the mask, revealing himself to be Kyanos.

Aurelia, happy to see him, threw the stick on the ground, and put on a big smile.

"Kyanos? Why didn't you say something earlier?", she asked.

"Did you give me a chance?!", he responded, unhappily.

She blushed and giggled.

"What are you doing here?!" he asked her, groaning in pain.

She explained to him that after he disappeared it took her all day to hear news that this would be where he was staying. It wasn't easy work. "Who knew I would run into you like this", she laughs, hitting him in the arm.

Looking annoyed, he asks "Where is the person staying in this room?".

"There's another person in the room?", she asked curiously.

Kyanos notices movement, outside the window, quickly grabs Aurelia, and ducks onto the bed.

Dozens of arrows shoot through the windows of the room.

Noticing that he pulled her into bed, she blushed and asks, "Is this really happening?".

Annoyed, he shushes her and leaps out of the bed. The figures outside the windows quickly vanished.

Aurelia saw them. "Wow. So many women! They were after you!... Just how many undissolved debts do you have?", she ranted.

Checking the surroundings, he smiles and replies, "If only it were that simple."

* * *

It has been an hour since they were attacked. The was sun was rising, just over the horizon.

Kyanos walked quickly through a small field of desert grass growing from the sand. Aurelia trailed right behind him, jingling her bracelet which is made of several little bells.

He stops suddenly, "Enough. Why are you following me?"

She responds, "We are partners, we must advance and retreat as one."

"Who's your partner? You have no business here. Go home", he said as he continues to walk.

She skips, merrily behind him, "I am here to protect you."

"With your top notch skills?", he asked sarcastically.

"You can hardly protect yourself", he finished.

"Hey. Don't belittle the skills of the Blaine family. If I showed you, you'd probably be scared to death", she proudly announced.

They walk for a moment, before he stops again, annoyed with the bells on her bracelet. "Can you put those bells away?! Ding, ding, dang, dang, it's so annoying. Are you trying to get us caught?", he said as he continues to walk.

She was amused by him, "My mother gave me this bracelet. She told me it was useful for getting rid of evil."

"Yeah. You forced all the evil away from yourself and onto me", he complained.

They had been walking for a while now and had reached a tiny forest of dried trees.

Still very amused, she tells him, "The reason I left home was to find you. I'm telling you, you won't get rid of me."

"Stop following me!" he yelled, sprinting away.

Immediately he was met by two assassins wearing all black. They had come down from the surrounding trees and pointed their crossbows at him.

He smiled and asks, "Ladies, you've been following me all morning. Do you fancy me?"

As they pull the triggers, he runs forward and leans back, sliding across the ground. He felt the breeze across his face, as the arrows flew by.

He slides close enough to grab the crossbows and disarm the women.

Two more assassins come down from the trees. They all armed themselves with daggers.

All at once, they begin their ruthless assault. He dodges every stab and every slash. Strangely, he wasn't fighting back, but smiled the whole time, as if he were thoroughly entertained.

Managing to surround him, they all jab their daggers at him, together. He leaps vertically in the air to avoid the attack. As he came back down, he grabs their arms and drags all four of them into the ground.

Aurelia finally catches up and sees that he is in trouble.

The assassins regain composure and continue their ruthless assault. Kyanos continues to dodge their every advance.

Aurelia pulls out a small throwing knife. "I'll give these evildoers a taste of the Blaine family technique", she proudly announced, throwing the projectile with all her might.

The projectile misses all the assassins, but hits Kyanos in the arm.

She gasped. "Sorry, sorry. That was my mistake", she commented nervously.

He holds his arm and turns to her. "This is your Blaine family skills? You were right, I am scared to death", he cried out.

"Sorry... I-I-I was nervous. This time, I'll definitely get it right", she responded.

Swinging their daggers endlessly, the team of assassins manage to corner Kyanos against a tree. Realizing that he's cornered, he retaliates with a kick. The force of which was great enough to send all of them falling toward the ground.

Suddenly, a projectile hits the tree, inches from his head.

Frightened, he turns to Aurelia. "S-sorry. I'm usually better at this"' she said.

Peeved, he cries out, "Stop messing around! You'll kill someone! I have no debt towards you, please spare my life. Hurry and leave!"

Flustered, she thought to herself, "Okay. This time... no more mistakes."

She then pulled out six projectiles. Crossing her arms and lining her hands up with her face. She held three knives in each hand. But as she threw them, she trips and stumbles onto the ground, sending the throwing knives in all directions.

She heard Kyanos scream for his life.

She looks up, seeing the assassins retreat. Each of them hit by her projectiles.

She smiles and runs to Kyanos, who had ducked on the ground into a fetal position.

His eyes were closed. "Please, Mistress Blaine. Please spare my life, for I have done nothing wrong!"

She laughs at his cries of terror.

She grabs him by the arm and pulls him up, "Kyanos are you okay?" He pulls away from her, pointing at the projectile she lodged into his arm.

Her gaze points downward, "I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose."

"Your family's skills... really aim to kill," he said with a traumatized look on his face.

She reaches to pull the knife from his arm. "Don't touch me!" he cries out as he walks away mouthing words of anger.

She looks very disappointed. "Why can't I do anything right?", she asks herself, before following after him.

* * *

Azura and three of her elite assassins finally make it back to End Province.

Dismounting their horses, they are met with a black-ranked assassin.

She gets on one knee and bowed her head, "Sorry. We let Brutus Amethyst and the girl get away."

"The highly skilled member of The Demon Sector. Could that be him?", one of the red-ranked assassins asked.

Azura tells the black-ranked assassin to explain the exchange in detail.

The assassin went into extreme detail about every moment from the quarrel she and her team were in this morning.

After hearing an explanation of the entire fight, Azura says, "No. Although he is very skillful, his techniques seemed to lack the aggression that you would find in a fighter of The Demon Sector."

"Where is the man in black, Crimson?" She asked the assassin.

"He's disappeared", the assassin reported.

Azura turns to the red-ranked assassins, "You three, each of you gather a small team and search the area for clues to his whereabouts."

"Yes ma'am", they said, quickly dispersing.

Azura goes to the Border Pavilion, to the suite Crimson stayed in, to investigate.

She found nothing, not even a trace of hair.

Willow enters the room. "Sister Azura, I have a team preparing Maple for burial. After preparations are complete she will be at the foot of the Pavilion Cliff", she reported.

Azura quickly turns to her, "The Pavilion Cliff?"

She stops and thinks to herself for a brief moment.

"Come with me, Willow." She rushes out of the pavilion and stares up at the cliff side, adjacent to it.

"What is it Azura?", Willow asked.

"That cliffside is the highest point in End Province. From there you can see the entire town", Azura replied.

They rushed around to the top, following the cliff side, looking for clues.

All they found on the ground was a single footprint.

"You think it could be his?", Willow asked.

"Could be", Azura responded, still examining the area.

She quickly realizes why the footprint was at that very spot.

At that spot, the main road of the town lines up perfectly, so nothing obstructs the view the flag. The flag is miles away and this is the only spot in town where you are able to see it. It is the flag at the top of the Temple of Heroes. The flag that represents the Greyfell's hero family name. The family Azura and her society of assassins have sworn to protect.

"He's after Master Greyfell", Azura states, with a look of frustration returning to her eyes.

This footprint proves Maple's message to be correct.

"He came here to observe the landscape and study the most convenient routes to move about", said Azura.

"It must be Crimson", Willow said.

Azura, nods. "When I first saw him, I noticed a different look in his eyes. It seems I wasn't wrong", said Azura.

"What was it you saw?", Willow asked.

"I saw a murderous intent", Azura claimed.

She sends Willow to receive what little information their team had gathered.

Meanwhile, Azura goes to meet their leader.

* * *

The time was noon. The Border Pavilion's main hall was closed for business as it is only busy at night. It was almost as if the place were abandoned.

The only sound that could be heard are the shuffling of dominoes.

The proprietor of the pavilion sits at the top of the main stairs, entertaining himself with a game of dominoes.

Although he rarely pays attention to anything going on around him, he was always known for being very kind and the gentleness of his voice only emphasizes that fact.

Azura enters, walking straight up the stairs to the proprietor.

She says nothing, only handing him the small piece of paper. The message from Maple.

He studies the paper in silence for a few moments.

"Fate... The Greyfell family's good fortune may be coming to an end", he said to Azura.

He hands the paper back to Azura, "The time may have come for you to operate in reverse", he tells her.

"Teacher. Please tell me. What do I do?", she asked him.

He exhales, "I am no longer the leader of this organization, you are. And I haven't been your teacher for a long time."

She listens intently.

He continues, "Right now, I am just an old disabled man. The changes in society no longer have anything to do with me. I only wish to stay in this pavilion and live out the days I have left."

"But we have to do something", Azura insisted.

He looks up at her. "You're still thinking of that boy?", he asked, as Willow and the other red-ranks came in.

"Azura! The Temple of Heroes' caravan has returned. They're about to reach the canyon", Willow reported.

Azura, startled by the news, "Let's go".

As they run off, the proprietor closes his eyes and takes a long, deep breath. "This is destiny... Fate is undeniable", he said to himself.

* * *

Through a long stretch of winding desert canyons, a rather large caravan travels.

It consists of at least forty people.

At the front are four horsemen, who are each armed with uniquely shaped weapons. The first of which wears a red and black outfit. He's a large man and goes by the name of Bulwark. He appears much younger than the other three horsemen.

Following them are a dozen slaves, pulling a very large, luxurious carriage. The carriage was like a small house.

On both sides of the carriage were a dozen armed soldiers, marching a whipping at the slaves to motivate them.

At the back of the carriage are a group of camels being herd by slaves. The camels carry tons of water and food, enough to feed everyone there for another week.

Finishing off, another dozen armed soldiers, march at the very rear of the caravan.

This formation was very well thought out.

"Hurry up!", he soldiers yelled, whipping the slaves who were pulling the carriage.

Very slowly, a man dressed in black walks out into the middle of the canyon's path. In his hand, an ebony black sabre. Crimson has reemerged onto the scene. The cold look in his eyes were enough to freeze the desert path ahead of him.

The caravan stands still, staring into the eyes of one man.

"Are you an idiot? Move aside", Bulwark yelled out.

At this moment Azura and her team of four elite assassins arrive on the scene. They hide behind cliff side above the canyon.

"You dare block the Temple of Heroes? Are you tired of living?", Bulwark threatened.

Crimson does not move and does not speak.

"Brothers! Take care of our problem", Bulwark yelled out.

The dozen soldiers from the back of the caravan charge forward and surround Crimson.

On the hill above, Azura watches intently at Crimson, "So it's you."

Kyanos and Aurelia stumbles upon the scene. They quickly run behind a nearby boulder to peek at the festivities.

"Wow! So many people... Who is that person in the middle?", Aurelia asked loudly.

Kyanos shushes her and continues to watch.

As the group of soldiers unsheathe their blades, Crimson takes his sabre and quickly sweeps the ground, sending tons of dust into the air. Just like that he and a dozen soldiers disappear into the cloud of dust.

Sounds of fighting and struggling could be heard from inside the cloud of dust.

Suddenly, the dozen soldiers fly out of the cloud, all falling to the ground, injured.

The horsemen are surprised at the outcome and brace themselves for what's to come.

The cloud of dust has cleard, but Crimson was nowhere to be seen.

"Protect the carriage!", Bulwark commanded.

Crimson comes down from above onto Bulwark, jumping off of his shoulder and dives toward the second of the horsemen.

The second horseman unsheathed his sword so fast, it looked like it just appeared from nowhere. He swings the long into the air, at Crimson, with all of his might.

Crimson, hurdling toward the blade, quickly blocked with his sabre. Using the momentum of the clash, he ricocheted up and over, toward the third and forth, who were next to one another.

Before the third and fourth horsemen could even react, Crimson twists his body, midair, and attacked. With a kick and a strike with his sabre, both horsemen are sent flying off their horses.

Crimson lands one foot on each horse, the sabre in his hand remains in its scabbard. His face still showed no signs of human emotion.

He leaps off the horses and onto the trail of slaves. Using their heads like stepping stones, he makes his way toward the carriage. Once close enough, he performs a somersault up and over the carriage.

Everyone at the scene was speechless from what they just witnessed. Within seconds the formation had been decimated.

Coming down head first, Crimson drives his sabre through the roof of the carriage.

At that moment, a masked figure in a reddish orange outfit jumps out the side of the carriage, swinging around to the top.

Realizing this, Crimson leaps back through the puncture he created in the roof. They finally meet, face to face.

Crimson quickly swings his sabre, still having the scabbard on it. It was met by the emerald green scabbard of his opponent.

He grabbed the handle of his sabre and unsheathes it.

Kyanos smiles at the sight of the blade coming out of its scabbard.

The blade, too, was ebony black and glowed like the night sky. Its shape was very bizarre for a sabre for it did not curve. The blade is completely straight and had a diagonal cut at the tip.

Crimson slashes at his opponent, who moves their face away just in time.

He still managed to cut his opponent's mask.

Azura and Kyanos stare intently, as the mask falls to the ground... revealing a beautiful young woman.

Everything goes silent, as if frozen in time.

Everyone. Kyanos, Aurelia, the assassins, and even the henchmen, are in awe of the beauty that stood before them. Everyone, but Azura, who shocked by the sight of her oldest friend. "Scarlett?", she asked herself.

Scarlett Greyfell is the daughter of Bronze Greyfell, the master of the Temple of Heroes.

Without hesitation, Crimson proceeds to go on the offensive. He aggressively swings his blade, this time aiming to kill.

The face of fear could be found on all the caravan and assassins' faces. As they watched in terror, unable to stop what is about to transpire.

As Crimson's blade grazes Scarlett's hair, a projectile hits the blade of his sabre with enough force to knock it out of his hand and onto the desert ground below.

A few strands of her hair slowly floated to the ground.

Crimson's eyes widen in shock as he stared at his hand which was suddenly void of his sabre.

Azura was just as shocked as Crimson. "Who could have the skill to block the attack of a sword moving that fast?", she asked.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Temple of Heroes

An entire canyon... Silenced ... Not even the wind dared to cry through the stones and cliffs.

Strands of black hair and a black sabre lay on the desert sand.

From behind a boulder, "Why'd you throw my hairpin? That was my cutest one!", Aurelia said.

"Shh. Can't you see I had to save someone?", Kyanos replied quietly.

Unnerved, Crimson had been staring at his hand for what felt like an eternity. Scarlett took this opportunity to go on the offensive. With a kick, she sends him flying off the carriage. He hits the desert ground, landing on his back.

When he sat up, four blades appeared, crossing one another, at his neck. Successfully capturing him, the soldiers tie him up and forces him to kneel.

Scarlett leaps from atop the carriage, as Bulwark runs to assist her.

The other horsemen, smile at one another and approach their captive.

Named Windsor, the second horseman wears white and is known for the speed of which he uses of his signature long sword. Along with the remaining swordsmen, Windsor appears to be in his late 40s.

Windsor points the blade at Crimson. "Foolish child. You dare to challenge the might of The Temple of Heroes? Who sent you?!", he asked.

Still being forced to kneel, Crimson says nothing. He only stares at the ground.

Scarlett is upset that her hair was cut during the exchange. "Mirror!", she commanded.

Bulwark runs into the carriage and rushes back with a mirror.

She yanks the mirror from him and looks frantically into it, reviewing the strands of hair on her head that have been cut short. Her face suddenly glows with anger, but she calmly commands, "Bulwark, sword."

He replies, "No need, Young Mistress, I'll take care of this mysel-."

"Sword!", she interrupts him.

He hands her his dark red sword and she makes her way toward Crimson.

The third of the horsemen steps in the way, "No need, Miss."

His name is Nizar, he dresses in a brown armor. He specializes in the use of a rapier, which he is know for performing many incredible strength feats with. That is quite odd, considering the rapier is such a thin, small pointed weaponed.

"Nazir, move.", she commanded.

"According to the laws of the Temple of Heroes, a captured assassin must stand trial. Their identity and motive must be investigated, before deciding how they should be dealt with", Nizar replied.

She lowers the blade, "Fine. I'll perform the interrogation, now."

"We are on our way to meet a guest. We must not be slow to welcome Master Amethyst", Windsor added.

She looks to Nizar, "You mention one law after another. Are you assuming that I don't know the laws?"

Bulwark, taking her side, "Uncles, we are all family, there is no need for conflict over such a small matter."

"Bulwark, do you not understand the laws either?... The only reason you have such a high rank is because your father passed away... and we required a substitute", Nizar replied.

Windsor adds, "We are speaking to the Young Mistress. You are nothing but a bodyguard. Do you think it's your place to state your opinion?"

Bulwark angrily approaches Windsor, "Why you-", but was stopped by a hand, holding him back.

It was the hand of the fourth horseman. He wore a dark green color and went by the name of Zalman. He's always lacked the ability to speak and is armed with a bow and a quiver of arrows at his waist.

Nizar continues, "The Temple of Heroes indeed has this law."

"It could be Young Mistress forgot, just now. Nizar's words are harsh, but heis reasons are solid. Please, reconsider your decision, Mistress", Windsor added.

Windsor continues, "I do not mean to make things difficult for you, but laws must be regulated. Back in the day, the three of us, along with your father, fought very hard to bring this country to peace."

"Everything was dealt with precision and discipline. This was how The Temple of Heroes became the greatest hero organization in the country. If this advice was not helpful, I still hope you would be a good role model for everyone", Nizar added.

"You three are indeed loyal and disciplined", she replied.

She looks to Crimson, "I'm just wondering, when this person's blade was pointed at me, where were you? Where were those laws you spoke of?"

They all stood silent.

She continues, "I may not be able to recite the laws, but I know if his blade were a fraction of an inch closer, it would have been my head that fell to the ground. If my father had not sent me in his stead, his head would have fallen."

Nizar laughs, "Your father's skills are beyond that of any lowly assassin. We would not have had to worry."

Scarlett was furious at his response.

Azura and her assassins remain on the cliff side above, watching.

"How dare they treat the Young Mistress with such disrespect?", Willow cried out.

"Master Greyfell is absent, which leaves her in charge. These veterans of the temple are not happy about that and are purposefully undermining her authority", Azura replied.

From behind the rock, Kyanos smiles. "Time to make my appearance", he said, dusting off his clothes.

He turns to Aurelia, "Don't follow me", and runs off.

"Hey!", Aurelia said, as he gets further and further away.

Scarlett, still furious, "Today I will kill this man."

"If you want to blatantly ignore the laws of the Temple of Heroes, then I have no choice but to withdraw my argument", said Nizar.

Scarlett felt cornered and betrayed.

"Just let it go", a voice yelled out.

Everyone turns to see a mysterious stranger walk toward them. It was Kyanos.

He walks in smiling and stops to look at Crimson. Crimson has yet to speak or lift his head.

Kyanos walks up to the three horsemen and puts up three fingers. "I'll count to three, if you don't let it go, then you're a smelly pile of poo", said Kyanos, as he smiled.

Annoyed, Nizar replies, "Who are you to interrupt our business?"

"Ohhh. I forget, you're of the older generation, not even recognizing this young master before you", Kyanos said, arrogantly.

Scarlett looked confused, "You are..."

"I am-... " he said, taking a long pause to make sure everyone is looking his way. "…-Brutus Amethyst", he finished, crossing his arms.

"So, you're the one who saved our Young Mistress, earlier. Thank you for your kindness", said Bulwark.

"Oh that? It was nothing", Kyanos replied, scratching his head.

"So, you are Sir Amethyst. Apologies for not recognizing you", Scarlett said, bowing her head.

"My fiancée, if it's between the two of us, there's no need to be so polite", he said, jokingly.

He turns to the horsemen, once again. "These old geezers on the other hand... Do you take angry pills or something?!", he yelled rudely.

"No need to take it to heart. These are just small trivial matters", Scarlett calmly stated.

"Not good enough! Even throwing sand in my eyes would not blind me to the situation!", he yelled out.

He turns to Scarlett and leans close, "My fiancée, you can tell me. I will beat the shit out of them for you!"

"Don't worry, Young Master, we were just discussing how to deal with this assassin", said Scarlett.

"Just kill him!", Kyanos responded.

"Well, if Young Master Amethyst has spoken, then it's final", Windsor replied.

Windsor pulls out long sword and hands it towards Kyanos, "I hope you will personally punish this assassin."

Everyone watches to see what he will do.

Kyanos slowly walks over to Windsor. He takes the sword in hand and quickly jabs the sword at Crimson.

The tip of the sword stops inches away from Crimson's eye. Kyanos, then proceeds to close his eyes, bringing his free hand up to his face and wiggles his fingers around.

"NO! This person shall not be killed, yet!", he yelled.

He drops the sword and runs to Scarlett, "I just consulted the almanac, tonight is the vernal equinox. The fortune says to avoid killing. Who am I- Who are WE... to wrong the gods just to get a little revenge?"

"Really?", Scarlett asked, innocently.

He puts his hands up and waves his fingers, once again. He explained to her that travelling and hairstyling were the good fortunes of the day. Confirming that the strands of hair that fell to the ground were a sign of good luck.

"If not for a turn of events, my father's life would have been in danger", Scarlett replied.

"Assassins are generally contract killers, it would be better to bring him back to the temple and torture him for information. If not, then you could always use him as a punching bag. If you get bored, you can kick him around", Kyanos smiled.

She walks to Crimson and whips him across his face with the scabbard of her emerald sword. "On behalf of Young Master Amethyst, I'll let you live a few more days", she said.

"Brothers. Take him away!", Bulwark commands.

"Hey! Wait for me!", Aurelia yelled. She sounded out of breath.

She runs up to Kyanos and punches him in the arm. "You didn't even wait for me!", she said.

He turns to her. "Who told you to come?", he whispered from the side of mouth.

"Who says I can't come?", she whispered back.

She smiles and turns to Scarlett, "Who is she?", she asked excitedly.

Kyanos pokes her with his elbow, signaling for her to shut up.

"Ohhhhhh. You're Bronze Greyfell's daughter, aren't you? You're very beautiful, you know", Aurelia said, admirably.

Kyanos says nothing, only smiling nervously.

"Miss. You are?", Scarlett asked politely.

As Aurelia opens her mouth, Kyanos quickly interrupts her. "This is my servant... Little Lia", he responded.

He continues, "She's from a poor village, so she's never travelled. Lessons and guidance on conduct would be much appreciated."

Aurelia is not sure if she should be angry or confused, so she just looked down and pouted in silence.

"It will be no trouble. Let's get on the carriage", Scarlett finishes.

Once they entered the carriage, the caravan began to move.

On the cliffside, above, Azura turns to her assassins. "We were lucky, today, luck was on our side. Young Mistress is safe, for now. You can all go back", she said.

"Yes ma'am", they said as they vanished into the horizon.

Willow remained at Azura's side.

"Azura, don't you want to see Scarlett? It's been five years", said Willow.

Azura smiles, "I have just seen her."

* * *

A short while later, the carriage stops. "We're here", said Scarlett.

Stepping out of the carriage Kyanos and Aurelia are met with a giant structure. A giant wall, framed by steel. The wall was colored in white and gold. Although it was the middle of the day, this place shined as if there were no other lights in the world.

Hundreds of soldiers formed a path, as they drop to their knee. "Greetings, Young Mistress", they all say in unison.

Once inside of the wall, it was nothing short of a luxurious palace. A wide flight of stairs leads them straight to the temple. Before even entering the structure, there is an open hall with dozens of tables on either side. This is an outdoor feasting area, for celebrations and feasts. At the end of the hall, in front of the temple, itself, stood a large throne. This is obviously the throne of Bronze Greyfell.

"Wow. The Temple of Heroes sure holds up to its title", Kyanos said out loud.

"My father used his blade to conquer this country. This desert founded the Temple of Heroes", Scarlett said, leading the way.

She stops and turns to Kyanos,"My father has grown too old to fight as a hero. His only child is a daughter, so I can't directly inherit the throne. Sometimes I wish I were born male, so I can have some control over my own destiny."

Bulwark coughs, signaling her to stop.

Scarlett's gaze points downward, portraying a look of sadness.

"No matter what anyone says, you don't have to agree to this marriage against your will", Kyanos said in a comforting manner.

Scarlett looks to Kyanos, surprised at his response.

He smiles, "This place will always belong to the Greyfell family name. In the future, your word is law. If anyone is to speak against you, I will personally beat them, for you."

Aurelia watches angrily from the corner of their eyes, as she sticks her tongue out, mocking Kyanos.

"Your rooms have been prepared, let me show you the way", Scarlett said, seeming a bit happier.

* * *

In what appears to be a small courtyard, Crimson was chained to a post, with his arms chained to the sides, on a cross beam.

He was shirtless, exposing his pale white skin to the desert sun. There is about a dozen bleeding whip marks all throughout his torso. Disregarding the whip marks, there were many scars that could be found throughout his body. The amount of scars appeared endless, it is almost hard to look at.

He appears to have passed out, after some form of intense torture.

A bucket of water was emptied over his head. He wakes up, too weak to struggle.

He looks up to the sight of Scarlett Greyfell and Bulwark. "Who hired you to kill my father?", she asked him.

Crimson says nothing.

"In this world only two types of people want my father dead. The first type is dead. The second are enslaved for life, in the Temple prison, forced to live like beasts", she threatened.

Crimson peeks at the prison. "You would need a bigger prison", he muttered out, slowly.

"Fine. Let's see what breaks first your silence of your bones. Brother Bulwark, I leave him in your hands", she said leaving the court yard.

"Don't worry, I'll take great care of him", Bulwark said, staring into the dead eyes of Crimson.

* * *

Hours have gone by. It is the evening and the sun is just starting to set. Sounds of whipping could be heard from the prison's torture room.

Crimson stands at the center of the room. Long chains from the walls were attached to his arms and legs, holding him in place. Bulwark constantly strikes him with the whip.

Not a soul to be found in the area. No one would ever dare be around when Bulwark is at work.

Crimson has yet to say a word.

"My favorite sounds are the cries of heart broken slaves!", Bulwark said, angrily.

"So why don't you do yourself a favor and talk?", Bulwark said, continuing to strike harder and harder.

He suddenly stops.

He walks to the table and rolls up the whip, neatly, and places it gently on the table.

When he turns back to Crimson, with a glowing piece of metal. He handled it using a large pair of pliers. It glowed red with heat, you can see the vapor in the air warping around it.

Slowly, he presses it against Crimson's shoulder. The sound of searing flesh filled the room. Crimson grits his teeth as he holds on to the chains with all his strength, still not uttering a single sound.

Bulwark yells for his men, "He's been branded. Prepare the slave and take him to his cell!"

They lift Crimson by his arms, letting his legs drag on the ground because he lacks the strength to stand. Leaving a trail of blood, they drag him to the prison bath and throw him into the water.

Once the blood was cleaned off, they drag him into an empty cellblock and throw him onto the ground of his cell. One of the soldiers places their foot on his head. "No dinner tonight. Sleep. You have work to do in the morning", said the soldier, as he laughed loudly.

They throw a dirty white shirt at him and slam the cell door, making sure that it is locked. "Your suffering has just begun", the other soldier said, as they leave the cellblock.

Crimson lies on the floor, in silence. Nothing but agony could be seen in his eyes. He clenches his trembling fist and thinks of his mother's words, "Use this sabre to sever every single one of their heads! Don't return unless you've succeeded, or else the heavens will curse you, and I will curse you as well!"

* * *

It is now the next morning.

Scarlett, accompanied by Bulwark, is showing Aurelia and Kyanos around the temple. They reach a fenced area where soldiers were riding horses.

"This is one of my favorite places in the Temple. This is the horse training field", said Scarlett.

"This place truly is amazing. The reputation of the Temple of Heroes truly is fitting", Kyanos added.

"Brother Bulwark, pick a fine horse for Young Master Amethyst to try", she commanded.

Bulwark comes back with Silver, Scarlett's beautiful white horse, and beautiful brown horse for Kyanos.

At that moment, Crimson is brought in by some soldiers. His wrists were chained together by a short chain and so were his ankles. The chain connecting his wrists also connect to a chain that leads to thick a metal collar around his neck. He showed signs of injury, his lips are as pale and colorless as his face, which remained expressionless.

"You should be honored to be of use the Mistress", Bulwark told Crimson.

He continues, "Get on all fours so the Mistress can use you to climb her hourse".

Crimson says nothing, only staring at Scarlett.

Bulwark kicks the back of Crimson's knee, causing him to collapse to the ground. But Crimson gets right back up.

"How can a slave be so unruly?", Scarlett asked.

Bulwark, along with two soldiers grab Crimson by the shoulders and force onto his hands and knees.

Scarlett proceeds to use him as a stepping stool to get on her horse. Bur just as her foot touches him, he forces himself back onto his feet, causing her to fall backwards into Kyanos' arms.

Furious, she grabs a sword from a soldier, and raises it in the air, prepared to take Crimson's life.

As the blade comes down, Kyanos grabs her by the wrist, stopping her.

"Why do you keep stopping me from killing him?!", she asked, angrily.

"Do you know him or something?!", she continued.

He smiles, "My loving fiancée. I'm not going to lie, I did meet him once at the Border Pavilion. I know you hate him but I hate him even more. If I had known he was an assassin, I would have killed him then."

"Then it's not too late", she said, pushing him aside. But he stops her again.

"I do want to kill him myself, but I would rather make show out of it", he responded.

Scarlett lowers the blade as Kyanos thinks for a little bit. "I have a fun idea. Trial by combat! I hear that's popular in this region", he smiled.

"I've heard many things about this custom and love to see it in action", he continued.

She smiles, "I like this idea."

She turns to Bulwark and says, "Take him to the arena... and spread the news to the province. We'll be hosting an execution."

* * *

The closed fence stands ten meters high. The large circular structure is composed of tree trunks lined up and strapped together. An arched gate stood majestically at the front end of the fence, but it was chained shut. Nothing could come in and nothing could come out.

The sounds of cheering and restlessness can be heard from outside of the structure.

Inside is a large area, surrounded by dozens of people. Slaves, maids, soldiers and towns people, all gather at the arena to see Crimson stand trial.

Crimson stood in a small wooden cage, where people have been throwing things and spitting at him. There is a metal cuff around his neck, which connected to his wrists. Another chain is attaches his ankles together, but are long enough for him to move his legs freely. These thick chains are heavy and greatly restrict movement.

Opposite the entrance is a large seat, raised by a small platform. Scarlett sits in the seat and Bulwark stands next to her. She seems very excited to start the trial.

Next to her platform was another, where Aurelia and Kyanos sit, both very anxious for the fight.

Bulwark steps forward off the platform and raises his hand, silencing the crowd. "Bring forth the guilty!", he spoke loudly.

A pair soldiers open the cage door and escorts Crimson to the center of the arena. The people who harassed him while he was in the cage backed away in fear of his release. Crimson limps as he walks. Not only is he still injured from the torturing, but the chains were quite heavy. Once there, the soldiers face Crimson toward Bulwark and Scarlett, then retreat to their posts.

"Now. The warrior of the Young Mistress' choosing", said Bulwark to the crowd.

Scarlett stands up and steps off the platform. Bulwark turns to her and says, "Please... allow me to be your chosen warrior, Young Mistress."

She says nothing. She walks right by him and faces Crimson.

"Here at the Temple of Heroes, we appreciate talent. If by some miracle you win... I will give you an opportunity to go free", Scarlett said to Crimson.

Crimson does not react, not even lifting his gaze to look at her.

She smiles, "But first... you must kiss my foot, before I can set you free."

Crimson lifts his gaze and speaks very slowly, "I do not want to leave...", he turns and slowly limps away. Immediately, a few armed soldiers step into his path, stopping him. They point their swords in his direction, but do not dare to step in closer.

"How dare you turn your back to me, slave?! Turn around. What is your name?", she confronted him.

After a brief moment of silence, "Crimson", he told her. The soldiers ahead of him shudder in fear at the sight of his piercing black eyes.

"Crimson... turn around. Your opponent is me", she announced


	5. Chapter 4 - The Emerald Sword

Scarlett opposed Crimson in the arena.

Everyone stood up in disagreement to Scarlett's announcement.

"Young Mistress! It's too dangerous!", Bulwark yelled out.

"Silence!... Bring me two swords", she commanded.

Bulwark didn't move, as he was not convinced that this is a good idea. "Don't make me repeat myself", she said to Bulwark.

Unwillingly, he commanded the soldiers to hand her two swords. Scarlett tossed one of the swords on the ground, behind Crimson, who is still looking away.

Crimson did not turn around to face her. "I do not wish to kill you... And... I do not wish to let you kill me", he said, as he continued back to his cage. The soldiers backed away at his shear presence.

Suddenly, he tilted his head to the side, and dodged the fierce, charging blade of a sword. Scarlett had gone on the offensive. She aimed the blade at the back of his head, meaning to end his feeble existence. Luckily, his reflexes did not fail him.

She turned the blade and sliced horizontally, attempting to take his head off. But he ducked his head forward to dodge it, then swiftly turned to face her.

She didn't give him a moment to breath. She swung and stabbed the sword at him constantly, each time faster and more deadly.

Crimson continued to dodge but is beginning have trouble keeping up with her. The chains that bound his limbs were much too heavy and constricting for this to go on any longer.

She swung the blade at him, horizontally, with all of her might. Somehow, her blade bounced back. He had used one of the the metal cuffs around his wrists to deflect the blade of the sword.

Before Scarlett could regain her composure, Crimson performed an aerial flip. With all that momentum, he used the chain that connects his ankles to whip the blade of her sword. Just like that, he unarmed her, pinning her sword into the ground.

She quickly flipped backwards, using her hands to spring off the ground. Successfully, she put a distance between her and her opponent. Not only that, when performing the handspring, she retrieved the sword she had tossed on the ground, before the fight even began.

Angrily, she charged straight back at him with the sword.

He stepped his left foot back and braced himself for impact, as the sword headed straight for his eye.

Aurelia bit her nail, while Kyanos didn't even blink in anticipation.

Scarlett's sword jerked to a halt. It has made impact. Her eyes widened by the sight of it. Silence fills the arena. Not a sound from anybody or anything... Scarlett's face grew pale.

The blade of the sword, only an inch from piercing Crimson's eye, had come to a stop. He stood with his hands crossed in front him. The chain, binding his wrists, looped around the blade, holding it in place.

Scarlett attempted to pull the the handle of the sword. It didn't budge, but she was frustrated, so she pulled harder and harder.

All of a sudden, he let go, sending her stumbling backwards about 4 meters. He kneeled to retrieve the sword he had previously knocked out of her hand. Then within the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Scarlett, and rammed the sword at her gut.

Aurelia covered her eyes in fear, but just Kyanos sat and smiled, silently, resting his feet on the table.

Soldiers and guards rushed into the arena. Bulwark drew his dark red sword and sprinted in to save her.

The sword made contact...

Scarlett's eyes widened as she slowly looked up, into Crimson's eyes. He held the handle of the sword against her body, pointing the blade away.

He looked into her eyes. "Are you done playing?", he asked . Although he spoke very softly, his tone was very bitter.

He dropped the sword and walked away. The guards surrounded him, all with a sword in hand, and their guard on high alert.

Bulwark finally made it to Scarlett, "Young Mistress, are you alright?" He checked her for injuries. Relieved that she not injured, he commanded the guards to seize Crimson for assaulting his mistress. But the guards backed away with every step Crimson takes. Crimson showed himself back to his cage, where the guards quickly close the door and locked it.

Scarlett stood trembling in the arena. No one made a sound as they slowly cleared the arena.

She placed her hand on Bulwark's shoulder. "Let it go. Send him back to his cell...", she spoke very quietly. Bulwark did not approve of her command, but agreed and walked her back to her room.

"Were you really going to let them kill each other, Kyanos?", Aurelia asked.

Kyanos smiles, "Nah they wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, right", Aurelia replied. "And what was that last move, that boy used? He could've killed her", she added.

"That was a technique from the Demon Sector", he responded. Her face changed to fear as she turned to watch the guards and horses haul Crimson away.

"Even with his injuries and those chains restricting him, no one of the Temple of Heroes could challenge him. But I never thought he would be this skilled", Kyanos thought to himself.

Kyanos, then, realized everyone had left the arena. Aurelia grabbed him by the arm, excitedly. "Lets go explore", she said.

* * *

It was late afternoon. Kyanos and Aurelia sat in a large courtyard, resting after several hours of exploring the Temple. Although the temple resided in the middle of a barren yellow desert, the courtyard was filled with life, trees, foliage and flowers.

Aurelia smiled and leaned her head onto Kyanos' shoulder. She looked up to see annoyance written all over his face, so she pulled away.

"What are you even doing here?", she asked.

He smiled and replied, "Have you ever heard of The Invincible Eljin?"

Yes... Isn't he the inventor of the Soaring Blades Technique?", she asked.

He nodded.

"I heard that he's never been defeated", she continued.

He sighed and told her a story:

 _Eljin was one of the greatest heroes to ever walk the earth. Although he enjoyed seclusion and had a tendency to vanish from the world for years at a time, he helped to pioneer the Hero's Movement. This movement inspired the upbringing up hero organizations. Groups of heroes would come together and form organizations to fight against the villainy of the world._

 _He specialized in projectiles and perfected an original technique known as the "Soaring Blades Technique". When a blade would leave his hand, it hits its target, no matter what. The strength and speed of his execution was unmatched and with this technique he walked undefeated in battle. Undefeated... until he faced against Braith Shadow, the leader of the hero organization known as 'The Phoenix Sabre' guild. Shadow was the greatest hero of his time. He was the only man to ever defeat The Invincible Eljin._

 _The duel was to determine who would be the protector of the Lifeless Manual, a manual compiled with some of the greatest skills in the world. Legend has any one who completely masters the manual's content will become immortal and gain the ability to give life to the dead. Both heroes agreed that for the sake of the world, the manual's contents must never be read. Eljin believed that bringing the manual to seclusion would be the best way to protect it. Shadow disagreed. He believed it was best for the manual to remain at The Phoenix Sabre guild for protection. So to put the dispute to rest they decided on a friendly duel, Soaring Blades versus the unstoppable Phoenix Sabre. This was where Shadow had done the impossible. He caught Eljin's blade with his bare hands. With his bare hands, he stopped the unstoppable Soaring Blades technique._

"That day, Braith Shadow had done the impossible. When I heard the story as a kid, I couldn't wrap my head around how this was possible. The only thing I could think of was if he had studied the Lifeless Manual and gained the skills necessary", Kyanos finished.

"I see... but isn't that manual just an old folklore?", Aurelia asked.

He smiled. "Even if it is just a silly tale, I want to find the truth. That is why I'm here", he said.

"So you're here to find the scroll?", she asked.

"I'm here to figure out what really happened that day. After the murder of Braith Shadow and the massacre of The Phoenix Sabre guild, he left behind an emerald green sword. The same emerald green sword that resides here, with Scarlett Greyfell. That is the only clue I have to solving this mystery", he said.

"Ohhhhh. So you're here for the sword", she smiled.

"I'm sure she keeps it in her room, but how do I get to it?", he asked himself.

She nodded and put on an sinister smile.

"What?", he asked, frightened.

"I have an idea", she said.

* * *

It was evening and the sun had set. Scarlett sat at the table in the center of her room. Her head was on the table and she was deep in thought. She was unsettled from what she saw in the eyes of Crimson. In all of her life, she had never seen so much agony. She pitied him.

Someone knocked on her door.

"Who is it?", she asked.

"It's me, Little Lia", said Aurelia.

Scarlett walked over and opened the door. Aurelia barges past her with a wine bottle in hand.

"Is there a problem?", Scarlett asked.

"Sooo... I have a bottle of wine. How about we talk, girl to girl? WOW, it's hot in here", Aurelia smiled.

She opened the window and sits at the table with Scarlett. She made sure Scarlett sat with her back towards the window and they started chatting about the upcoming wedding.

"(I'm going to get her drunk and she'll tell me all of her secrets)", Aurelia thought to herself, but giggled out loud.

"Is something the matter?", Scarlett asked, confused.

"Huh?... Oh nothing", Aurelia smiled, as she quickly poured some wine.

While the girls talked, Kyanos silently climbed through the window and snuck over to the sword stand, by Scarlett's bed. On the stand rested the Emerald Sword. He snatched the sword and silently climbed out the window. His foot got caught when jumping out of the window and tumbled to the ground.

Scarlett hopped out of her seat and turned around, "Who's there?!"

Aurelia grabbed her by the hand, "Uhhh... It was... a rabbit!..."

"A rabbit?", Scarlett asked.

"Uhh... that's what we called the night wind... from where I'm from", Aurelia smiled nervously.

Scarlett sat down and smiled, "You love your master, don't you?"

"Huh?! What?! No... ...", Aurelia blushed.

Scarlett laughed, "I see the way you look at him. I see the way you smile while you two together."

Aurelia sighed. "It's true", she said.

She poured herself a cup of wine and drank it all in one big sip. "I know this sounds silly, but I loved him even before I met him. But he never even took a second glance at me", said Aurelia.

Scarlett smiled and listened intently.

Aurelia poured another cup, drank it in one sip, and frowned. "He always treats me like some sort of child who knows nothing", she added, knocking her cup to the side. She picked up the entire bottle, drank straight from it as she continued to rant.

* * *

Sword in hand, Kyanos made a run for the outside. Once there, he laughed maniacally, raising the sword into the air. He silenced, realizing that people could hear him. He observed the sword and admired its beauty. It glowed green, with elegant gold designs on the scabbard. He grabbed the hilt and pulled with all his strength but the sword wouldn't budge. It was as if the sword and the sheath were one.

He pulled and pulled from all angles. He smacked it against a wall and the ground, violently. He tried roasting it over a torch and even beating it with a large stick. He pulled and pulled, rolling around the ground. "What are you doing?", a voice asked. Kyanos was in a very awkward position. He laid on the ground with the sword tucked between his legs, and his hands wrapped around its handle.

He rolled over into a seductive pose and smiled, sword in hand.

Scarlett stood over him, confused as to what she sees.

"Hello, Princess", he smiled as if the situation was not at all awkward.

"Princess?", she asked.

"This place is a palace. Doesn't that sort of make you the princess?", he replied.

"I guess?", she replied.

"Where is Little Lia?", he asked.

"She had too much to drink so she's sleeping in my room", she replied.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, "So... what are you doing?", she asked.

He laughed loudly, "I thought you'd never ask."

He continued, "I heard of this sword long ago. The story goes: It is impossible to draw this sword and you will marry the man who is able to. As your fiancee, I was just curious to see if I might be the one."

"Well, what happened?", she curiously asked.

He sat up and held the sword out. "I couldn't draw it. What a pity. Good thing I am not getting married to this sword, but to a beautiful and graceful lady", he commented.

He handed her the sword as she took a seat directly in front of him, on the ground. She looked up to the starry night sky.

"You really know how to sweet talk a girl", she said.

He smiled, "Not many women would I call beautiful and graceful".

She looked at the sword and sighed. "When I was a child, my father took this sword to the fortune teller. He never believed in that kind of thing... but my mother did. The fortune teller told them, 'Whomever reveals the blade of the sword will be the person she is destined to betroth'. He gifted me this sword on my 10th birthday, and my mother told me that I was destined for true love..."

Her eyes, saddened, "It's been 10 years now... My mother passed away 5 years ago. I've given up on the notion that true love even exists..."

She looked to him, "It's a pity that people like us, born into rich families, have no control over who we choose to marry." She smiled, "Fortunately, you're not as annoying as you're rumored to be."

He forced a smile, feeling a bit guilty for impersonating Brutus Amethyst. "Thank you, princess", he responded.

She got up and brushed the sand off of her clothes. "You should get some sleep, it's late. I have something special planned for the morning", she said as she began to walk away.

"Princess", he called to her.

She stopped and turned around. "Yes?", she asked.

"If someday, someone were to draw your emerald sword... What will you do?", he asked.

"I don't believe that person exists", she reponded.

"But if he did... I will leave everything behind and go with him", she said, letting out a bright, innocent smile.

* * *

It was early the next morning.

A caravan of the Temple of Heroes set up camp in a desert field. The guards were eating lunch, the horses were drinking water, but the slaves only watched. The slaves wore filthy white shirts and appeared to be exhausted from heat and malnutrition.

Aurelia and Kyanos, both let out a big yawn.

"What are we even doing here, it's so early. I have a headache", Aurelia frowned.

Kyanos turned to Scarlett, who was sitting across from them. "You knew I would get bored in that temple, so you took me out. You're so good to me", he smiled.

Scarlett shook her head. "This is not a casual trip. This desert is home to a certain species of wild horse with great physique, strong endurance and amazing speed. Unfortunately, these wild horses are impossible to tame. So once a year we capture a few stallions and bring them home to mate with our broodmares and then release them again. This assures that the Temple of Heroes' horses are of the highest quality."

"So we're here to capture horses?... But why so early?", Aurelia complained.

"We left before Bulwark noticed I was gone. He can be a little overbearing", Scarlett replied.

"What a kill joy, right?", Kyanos laughed.

"Over the hill is a large pond where horses like to stop and take a drink. This is where we'll find them. Unfortunately, because of the pond and rugged terrain, this area is the desert's death zone", said Scarlett.

"Death zone?! What?! What's that?! What are we doing in a place like this?!", Aurelia panicked.

Kyanos shushed her and answered, "The desert's death zone, also known as the Sea of Quicksand, is an area spotted with quicksand. Those who get disappear within the depths of the sand never back out."

"That is correct. Once you have gone under, you can no longer be saved. You'll become one with the desert", said Scarlett.

Aurelia's nervousness turned into a pulsing fear as she began to panic.

"So I heard you have slaves walk ahead of you to scout for quicksand", Kyanos said, with pain in his heart.

"Do not feel sorry. This is how we have always done it. You will be used to it in no time", Scarlett replied. She looked to Aurelia, who started to look pale. "Young Master Amethyst, you and Little Lia should rest in the carriage, I shall join you momentarily", she said to Kyanos.

Kyanos nodded. He then escorted Aurelia to the carriage to get out of the heat.

Scarlett took the Emerald Sword in hand, mounted her horse and galloped to choose a slave to lead her path. She pointed to Crimson, "You. Come with me."

The two of them traveled a good distance from the camp. She held a chain that is attached to the cuff around his neck, as he walked in front of her. If any quicksand spots were to appear, Crimson would surely sink right in. He walked very slowly, and swayed from side to side. He was clearly exhausted from the desert sun beating down on him.

"Stop", she commanded.

He stopped but did not turn around.

She threw the chain on the ground and hopped off her horse.

She slowly walked to his side. "Say, if I were to bury something in this desert, will anyone ever find it?", she asked him.

He lifted his lifeless gaze to her.

"Don't worry. I'm not referring to you", she assured him. She points the Emerald Sword to the sky. "I'm talking about this sword", she said.

"My father is returning soon... It means I will be married off to Brutus Amethyst... He is not a bad person, but he is not the one I am waiting for", she added.

He doesn't react, only looking down at the sand, blowing in the breeze.

She continued, "Realistically... we are both slaves to the Temple of Heroes... our bodies and souls bound by shackles, unable to take a single breath... I admire you. You have the power to rebel against your fate, whereas I cannot."

She searched herself for something and pulled out a key. She unlocked all of his chains and cuffs.

"Leave. Someone like you deserves to continue living", she told him, tossing the chains aside.

Crimson did not speak. He only stared, emotionlessly, at her.

Her eyes saddened, as she took one last look at the Emerald Sword. Suddenly, she tossed the sword onto the ground and walked back to her horse.


	6. Chapter 5 - Blood Splattered

Crimson, freed, watched as Scarlett walked away.

Before she could make it to her horse an arrow hit it and frightened it. It neighed, loudly, and galloped away, over the distant hills. She turned and saw a dozen assassins, sprinting toward her. They all wore black and had silver colored masks on. The masks were made of metal and had two small horns that protruded from the top. They all drew their metal sabres.

She quickly realized, she had no way of escaping, so she charged toward them.

The first assassin swung their blade at her, but she dodged by sliding across the ground and grabbing the assassin's foot, tripping them to the ground. She rolled to the side to avoid another blade. Quickly, she rolled backwards and used her hands to spring herself back to her feet.

She spun and swept her foot through the air, meeting the jaw of an assassin. The impact was enough to cause them to flip backwards and land on their face.

She appeared to be in control, but she knew that she was outnumbered.

She continued to put up a fight, but shortly after she was met with a kick to the gut. She stumbled backwards and turned to an assassin, who leaped through the air. Their blade was coming down on top of her.

Midair, the assassin was sent flying with a kick. Crimson had joined the fray.

Seeing an identical group of assassins with crossbows coming over the hill, he grabbed her hand and they ran.

The second group fired their crossbows. Arrows rained down from the sky, killing the dozen assasins. But Crimson and Scarlett ducked over the hill just in time. They laid beside each other on the sand, peeking over the hill. Scarlett watched in disgust as the assassins so casually kill their own men, just to get an edge on two targets.

The assassins put away their crossbows, pulled out their sabres, and sprinted for Scarlett and Crimson.

Crimson looked to Scarlett and saw that she was holding her shoulder. An arrow stuck out the back of her left shoulder. She didn't get away unharmed after all. He turned the other way and saw the Emerald Sword she had tossed away. He let go of her hand, picked up the sword and charged at the group of assassins.

She watched as he ran at them with the Emerald Sword.

He held it in front of him, one hand on the sheath and the other the handle.

He drew the blade from its sheath.

Scarlett's eyes widened in shock.

The blade glowed the purest green. The light that emitted from the blade was enough to shine a green tint across Crimson's pale white skin.

Scarlett stood to get a closer look because she couldn't believe her eyes.

He held the sword straight out in front of him and continued his charge. In an instant, he stood on the other side of the assassins. They had finally crossed paths. Both parties stood completely still, as wind blew across the open area.

Suddenly all of the assassins drop to the ground. There stood Crimson. The last man standing.

He stared at the glowing green sword. Something was strange about it, but he couldn't tell what.

He slid the sword back in its sheath and slowly walked back over to Scarlett. She stood frozen, eyes widened at his presence. He held the sword out to her.

She reached behind her shoulder and pulled the arrow out, stumbling a bit forward. He tried to help her but she smacked his hand away, knocking the sword onto the ground.

"Stay away from me!", she cried out.

They stood, staring intensely into each other's eyes. At that moment, it was like they were the only two people on earth. Her eyes were filled with frustration and confusion. His eyes carried all the agony of the world.

He stared as she held her shoulder, slowly turned around and began to walk away. She stumbled from side to side and before she could get any further than a few steps, she collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

Back at the camp, Scarlett had just sneaked away from the pack. Aurelia and Kyanos rested inside the carriage, relaxing from the hot desert sun.

They heard a commotion outside.

Kyanos peeked out, "What's going on?!"

The camp was under attack by a small army of assassins. The temple guards were in a heated battle, trying their best to protect the camp. Kyanos leapt into action. He snatched the weapon from first assassin he could reach and knocked the assassin out with the butt of the sabre.

"What's up with these devil masks? Did I miss the cult party?", he smiled, leaping over a few assassins. While in the air, he swung his hand, sending three small blades into the shoulders of three different assassins.

Aurelia joined the fight, arming herself with a sword.

They fought for a few minutes, before realizing they were completely surrounded.

Aurelia used her sword to block an incoming blade, sending her back a few steps and into a spot of quicksand. The assassins directed their attention to Kyanos, not wanting to waste their strength on the condemned.

"HELP!", she screamed at Kyanos.

Still fighting back the assassins, Kyanos glanced over to see her sinking into the sand. "A little busy, here! Stop moving!", he yelled back.

"Help me! You can't let me die like this!", she screamed, sinking deeper and deeper. She clawed in all directions to try and grab hold of the sand, to no success.

"Spread out your hands and relax!", he told her.

Still in battle, he noticed a length of chain on the ground and kicked it to Aurelia.

"Use that to latch onto something and drag yourself out", he said, continuing to fight the invading assassins.

Aurelia grabbed the chain, panicked, and looked all over.

Suddenly a chain looped around Kyanos' ankle and he stumbled back a step.

He turned to Aurelia. "So many people here, it HAD to be me?!", he panicked, blocking the incoming sabres.

"I only trust you!", she yelled.

The assassins backed away, when they noticed what was happening.

He fell to the ground, being dragged by the chain toward the the quicksand.

"Help me!", Aurelia yelled, before taking one last breath and being fully submerged under the sand.

Kyanos digging into the sand, trying to get a grip of anything. But soon the sand was up to his neck. He reached his arm up, yelling, "This ain't the last you've seen of me! Those masks are ugly!"

The assassins laughed as Kyanos' middle finger was the last thing to disappear into the pit of sand.

* * *

Crimson walked for what seemed like hours. There was nothing that could be found in any direction, only the endless horizon. He hoisted a rope over his shoulder, dragging a sled behind him. It was actually an old wooden wagon wheel he found half buried in the sand. On top of it laid Scarlett, unconscious.

He fought to keep his eyes open as they started to feel heavy from the heat exhaustion.

She woke up. Her eyes looked from the side to side and panicked because she couldn't move her body. Then she realized she was being dragged by Crimson. "You damned slave, where are you taking me?!... What are you doing?!", she screamed, struggling to move her body.

"The arrow was poisoned... you are in a state of paralysis", he replied, slowly, continuing to drag her.

"Let me go! My life and death has nothing to do with you!", she cried out.

"I am trying to help you", he replied.

"I don't need you to save me! I don't want to dragged around! ... Let me go and leave me alone!", she continued to struggle.

"Save your strength. We have no food or water", he said.

"Just looking at you makes me feel hatred! Let me go! I would rather die in this desert!", she screamed.

He stopped speaking.

She continued to scream and struggle until she passed out.

* * *

A horse sprinted through the desert. A Temple of Heroes guard laid across the horse's back. It suddenly stopped and guard falls from it.

The guard looked up, barely conscious, to see the Temple of Heroes right above him.

Bulwark, Windsor, Nizar, and Zalman, the four horsemen of the Temple of Heroes, ran out the front gate.

Bulwark ran to the fallen guard and helped him sit up. "Brother. What happened to the Young Mistress?", he asked, hurriedly.

"Assassins-", the guard answered, before passing out.

Bulwark commanded the guards to take the man into the Temple for rest.

"Split up into four groups! We have to find the mistress!", Windsor commanded. The four of them, each, gathered a group of about a dozen guards and horses. They rushed out in search of Scarlett.

* * *

Aurelia and Kyanos rose from a body of water. Aurelia gasped for air, reaching for Kyanos, who is floating unconscious.

She dragged him to shore and examined him to see he was alive. She noticed that he was hit with an arrow before sinking into the quicksand. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, "Wake up!"

She stared at him for a brief moment and blushed, She then leaned in to try to resuscitate him using mouth to mouth. He suddenly awakened, spitting a mouth full of water into her face. She fell back.

She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. "You're awake!", she said.

"Huh?", he said, still in a daze. He coughed profusely.

"I knew you wouldn't abandon me", she smiled.

"With all your shaking, I'm surprised you didn't kill me!", he said, trying to catch his breath.

She laughed.

He took a look around. "Where are we?", he asked, still trying to catch his breath.

She looked around. "Last thing I remember, I was sinking into the sand, then we ended up here", she answered.

"So the waterways lead out here", he said to himself.

"Waterway?", she asked.

"This pond must have underground waterways, which is what causes the sand above it to sink. We were lucky to be just uphill from where the waterway lets out. Any longer down there and we may have suffocated", he told her.

He looked down to see the arrow protruding from his chest and grabbed hold it, prepared to pull it out.

"Here, I'll help you do it", she lunged her hands toward the arrow.

The look of fear struck Kyanos' face. "What? Stop. What're you you doing? Stop!", he said, actively fending off her hands.

She got a grip of the arrow and tugged at at it. "Pulling out the arrow. Heavens, it's really in there", she said.

He pushed her hands away. "I'll do it myself, thanks", he said, calmly.

"Fine. But be careful", she said, disappointed. She sat down next to him and held his arm, bracing herself.

He gripped the arrow and swiftly pulled it out. She softly screamed at the sound it made.

"Are you alright?", she asked.

He waved the bloody arrow in her face, "You call this alright?"

He sniffed the arrow. "This pond is connected to a river. If you follow it, you should find settlement somewhere", he said.

He turned and looked her in the eyes. "Hurry and go home, while you can. The world isn't as fun as fun as you imagine it to be", he told her.

"What about you?", she asked.

He waved the arrow in her face again, "It's poisoned and I don't know what it is. I'm probably not going to be able to leave this place".

"Don't worry, I learned some medicine from my mother. I can take of you", she said, trying to cheer him up.

His eyes began to sadden. He sighed. "If you really care for me... I have one final heart's desire... Could you help me?", he asked sincerely.

"Final heart's desire?", she asked.

He nodded, once.

"Sure. Tell me what is it. I'll help you make it happen", she agreed, sincerely.

His eyes started to tear. "My wish is-...", he started.

Her anticipation rose to an all time high.

"...-for you tell leave me alone, okay?!", he cried, prying her hands off of him.

"I, Kyanos lived a happy life, then after meeting you, it's been filled with nothing but misfortune", he continued.

"Am I that troublesome?", she asked.

"Troublesome? Incredibly troublesome!", he replied.

"If I'm so troublesome, then I'll just leave!", she yelled, as she stood up.

"Fine", he said, calmly.

Frustrated, she marched away. But, after a few steps, she stopped and turned around to see if he was looking. But he was not. So, she turned around and sat next to him.

Very softly, she spoke, "... I'm hungry.."

"How about... we go eat?", she smiled.

He cried loudly, falling back and rolling over.

"Come on, lets go!", she said, reaching to help him up as he continued to cry loudly.

* * *

Crimson continued to drag Scarlett through the dry desert. His shoulders were bruised from hoisting the rope over it for so long.

Scarlett laid silent as she had little strength to speak.

Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses could be heard from a distance. It moved closer and closer.

The horses appeared over the cliffs. Riding them were a group of men, wearing guard uniforms of the Temple of Heroes. The mid-section was bare, but a strap went across the torso to a single armor pad on their shoulders.

Crimson stopped as soon as he saw them. Scarlett turned to see them. The look of hope returned to her eyes.

"I'm here", she gasped, unable to speak any louder.

The men got off their horses and ran to her aid.

"Mistress! Are you alright?!", one of the guards asked.

"Wa...ter...", she muttered out.

"Boy, you can go. This no longer has anything to do with you", the guard told Crimson.

Another guard came running with a waterskin (a leather pouch that holds liquid) and kneeled next to Scarlett.

Before the water could reach her lips, Crimson kicked the waterskin out of the guard's hand. He then drew the guard's sword and slashed him across the abdomen.

Blood splattered across the sand, as the guard fell to the ground.

Two droplets of blood landed on Scarlett's cheek.

Her eyes widened as Crimson began to slaughter the men, one by one...

"Don't... kill them... Stop...", she said, still unable to speak loudly.

...until only two guards remained.

One of the guards made a run for it. But the other, charged at Crimson with a spear. Crimson dodged the blade and grabbed the staff of the spear with a single hand.

With a kick, he snapped the spear in half and launched the spear it at the guard who ran. The spear pierced the guard's back and came out of his chest.

"No!", Scarlett muttered out.

Crimson turned around and grabbed the final guard by the head, pushing down and forcing the guard onto his knees. With his other hand, he swung the sword, decapitating the guard.

A head, fallen to the ground. Crimson stood at the center of a field of corpses. Blood dripped off the blade in his hand.

Scarlett wiped the droplets of blood from her face with her hand and stared. The hope in her eyes faded away. She laid back down and waited for her imminent doom.

He armed himself with a spear from one of the corpses and picked up the rope. He continued to pull the sled.

* * *

Bulwark returned to the temple gates and leapt off of his horse. "This horse is exhausted! Fetch me a new one", he commanded.

Nizar rushed to greet him. "Did you find her?", he asked Bulwark.

"No. But I found these two at the camp", Bulwark responded, pointing at a small carriage.

The two inside the carriage were Kyanos and Aurelia. She was fanning him while he dramatically held his chest and coughed for attention.

"Master Amethyst was hit by a poison arrow. Luckily, his maid servant is proficient in medicine", Bulwark said to Nizar.

"Help me! I am POISONED!", Kyanos coughed.

Aurelia smiled and turned to Bulwark and said "It's non-lethal. It's just a paralyzing toxin."

"That's a relief. Someone help Master Amethyst to the medical hall", Nizar commanded.

The horses started to move and pulled the carriage through the temple gates.

Bulwark's eyelids looked heavy. As he watched a guard bring him a fresh horse.

"Bulwark. Take a rest. You're of no use to the Mistress in that state", said Nizar.

Bulwark mounted the horse. "How can I rest when Young Mistress is missing?", he responded.

"I would rather die in that god forsaken desert than to let any harm come to Young Mistress", he added, galloping away on the horse.

* * *

Crimson squatted beside a lake. He finally found water.

"Mother... Come take me away... I miss you..", Scarlett muttered softly to herself.

He cupped his hands filled with water and walked to Scarlett, who still laid on the sled. He held his cupped hands to her, offering her water.

"I... have a... spear.. I will fish for food", he said slowly.

She shoved his hands aside.

"Why did you kill my men?", she asked him.

He replied slowly, "Those weren't your men".

"Their chests... did not have the brand of the Temple of Heroes", he continued.

She thought back and confirmed his claim. But nothing he said could calm the hatred she felt toward him at that moment.

With all of her might, she forced herself to her feet and she slowly stumbled away from him.

Suddenly, his spear flew across her vision. Immediately after, he tackled her to the ground.

"Let me go! Just kill me!", she screamed.

She stopped when she saw that he was unconscious.

She turned her head and saw the spear. It was sticking out of the eye of an assassin.

Three arrows protruded from Crimson's back. She realized... he saved her, again. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She felt comfort, cradled in arms of this slave.

She lost consciousness, once again.

The two laid in the sand, hopeless and completely vulnerable, surrounded by nothing but seemingly endless desert.

* * *

A heavily guarded horse drawn carriage pulled up to the Temple of Heroes. Scarlett was seated on it. Surrounding the carriage were about ten guards. Crimson was bloodied and tied up, forced to walk beside the carriage.

The four horsemen, Bulwark, Windsor, Nizar and Zalman run out at the news of their Mistress being found.

"Young Mistress. Are you alright?", Bulwark asked.

"Brother Bulwark.. ...I'm glad to see you", she muttered out.

Bulwark got on one knee and bowed his face to the ground, "I let such a frightening thing happen to you, I deserve to be punished!"

"Where did you locate the Mistress", Windsor asked.

A guard stepped forward, "We found them unconscious about five kilometers west, beside the lake. The slave was holding her in his arms when we found them".

Bulwark got back on his feet and angrily drew his dark red sword. He held the blade to Crimson's neck. "You damned slave! How dare you lay your hands on Young Mistress! I'll kill you", he yelled, angrily.

"Stop!", a voiced yelled out.

Crimson lifted his gaze to see Kyanos appear on the scene.

"Do not rush to such conclusions, before you get both ends of the story", Kyanos smiled.

"If he disrespected my fiancee, I will kill him with my own sword! But look...", Kyanos said, pointing to the carriage.

"She was hurt during the raid. If not for this slave's protection, she probably wouldn't have made it this far", he continued.

Bulwark was still not pleased. "Young Mistress, shall I spare his worthless life?", he asked.

She turned her gaze away and remained silent.

"We shouldn't let villains escape, but we also can't wrongly accuse an innocent person", said Kyanos.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "I am tired. Take me to my room", she said.

The guards lead the carriage to through the gate.

"Take the slave to the room. I have a few things to ask him", Bulwark commanded.

Kyanos sighed and watched as they shoved Crimson through the gates.

"Well... this is not good", Kyanos thought to himself.


	7. Chapter 6 - Secrets

It was close to midnight and Scarlett was well rested.

She sat in her room, with her head on the table. This was where she always went when she had to think.

Across from the table was a pitch black sabre. It was Crimson's sabre. She couldn't help but stare at it.

There was a knock on the door. Scarlett stood up, panicked. She grabbed the sabre, hid it under the bed and sat back down.

"Come in", she said.

Kyanos entered. "Why must you treat him like that?", he asked.

She said nothing.

He sat down next to her, "Is it because he drew the Emerald Sword?", he asked.

Her face became unsettled, but she remained silent.

"Bulwark has him in a some hole, right now. He could be killed at any moment", he added.

She peeked downward, toward the direction of the sabre.

"He fought hard to bring you back here. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for him", he said.

He stood up, "Your one word can save his life, but you're in here, hiding."

"You told me whoever drew the sword, you would drop everything to be with him. What're you doing now?", he finished.

Thoughts and images of Crimson clouded her mind. Every moment they spent out in the desert. From him drawing the sword, dragging her around on the wheel, to the moment he held her in his arms.

As Kyanos turned to leave the room, she leaped up and grabbed him by the hand. When he turned around she leaned in to kiss him. He placed his hand over his face and shoved her away.

"What're you doing?", he asked.

"Why don't you want me? We are going to be married. I'll be your's sooner or later", she replied, peeved by his rejection.

He said nothing, but he let out a smile.

She started to undress, but he stopped her.

"You think if you give me your body, you won't think of him?... He didn't dominate your body... He dominated your heart", he said.

"Brutus Amethyst, what is wrong with you?!", she asked.

Her eyes became frustrated. "I followed my father's will to marry you. What else are you not satisfied about? Why must you always speak up for that damned slave?!", she yelled, angrily.

He shook his head and sighed.

"You're a liar. You told me you would treat me well forever!", she screamed.

"Yes. I am a liar. I would lie to others... never to myself", he replied, before walking out of the room.

Once he was gone, she picked up the sabre. "Guards! Take this out of my sight!", she commanded, angrily.

* * *

Crimson, once again, found himself chained to a post in the middle of a room. Bulwark sharpened a series of blades.

"I had to wait until everyone went to sleep. All the horses back to their stables. I wouldn't put them through the trouble of hearing the things I am going to do to you", said Bulwark.

Crimson showed no fear, no expression, he just stared at the ground, with strands of hair covering his face.

"You know, before I took my father's position as one of the Four Horsemen of the Temple, I was an executioner", Bulwark laid the blade on the table.

Bulwark walked across the table, running his hand across the series of blades, picking up the smallest one.

He waved the small blade in Crimson's face. "I am going to take pleasure in carving that face of your's", Bulwark said.

As soon as he pressed the blade against Crimson's face. Kyanos shoved Bulwark aside with a rope in his hand.

"You piece of shit! How dare you lay your hands on my fiancee?!", he yelled, whipping Crimson a few times with the rope.

Bulwark stood and watched, flustered by what is happening. "Don't hold me back Brother Bulwark!", Kyanos yelled, continuing to strike Crimson with the rope.

"Master Amethyst, this livestock is unworthy of your punishment. Please, allow me", Bulwark commented

He stopped and put his hand on Bulwark's chest, "Brother Bulwark, we cannot kill this man! I have to stab him once a day, everyday for a year to take out my frustration!", Kyanos yelled shoving bulwark out of the room.

Once Bulwark was out of the room, Kyanos yelled, "Leave. Some things must be done personally!" He tossed Bulwark's sword at him and slammed the door.

Bulwark confused at what just happened, but he walked away.

Kyanos heard the footsteps disappear into the distance. He ran to Crimson and smiled. He unlocked all of the chains and held Crimson, helping him walk to take seat at the table.

"Let go", said Crimson, bracing himself with the table, as he was having trouble standing.

They both took a seat, across from each other.

"If you want to escape, feel free to leave a mark on my face. It'll be easier to convince the guards", said Kyanos.

"Why do you keep saving me?", Crimson asked, staring expressionlessly at the table.

Kyanos laughed, "Because we are friends."

"You are not my friend", Crimson responded.

"But you're my friend", Kyanos smiled.

"That is not my problem", Crimson said.

"Ahh. But it IS my problem. I did say I took a liking to you", Kyanos responded.

Crimson lifted his cold gaze, annoyed to see Kyanos' cheerful glowing smile. "Idiot", he told Kyanos.

Kyanos laughed again. "So, Crimson, I thought I had a way with women. But, it seems your method is much more efficient than mine. Tell me honestly. What DID happen out on that desert, that day?", Kyanos asked.

Crimson said nothing, but stared deeply at the table.

"Come onnn. We're both men, share a little", Kyanos said, lightly punching Crimson on the shoulder.

Crimson remained silent.

"Fine. I can only save you on occasion, but not forever... But that's tomorrow's problem. Today, we drink!", Kyanos added, lifting a small pot of liquor from underneath the table.

He placed it on the table and slid it to Crimson.

"I told you... I don't drink", said Crimson, sliding the pot away.

"Crimson... I don't know what you're doing in End Province, but you're always so tense. Kind of like a bow string. Doesn't it get boring? At our age, we probably only have a handful of decades of life left. You need to relax a little sometimes, that is how to live a good life", Kyanos said, sliding the liquor to Crimson once again.

Crimson stared at the pot of liquor for a moment, then slowly lifted his hand toward it and picked it up. He stared into the small opening in the pot and took a sip. He coughed in disgust at the burning bitterness of the drink.

Kyanos took the pot from his hand and happily took a huge gulp.

"This 'good' life you speak of... is not for me", Crimson commented, very slowly.

"Alcohol is like women, try it again, and you may just fall in love", Kyanos laughed, sliding the liquor back towards Crimson.

Crimson stared at the table. "Your efforts are wasted on me. I know you're like everyone else. You just want information from me", he said to Kyanos.

"You're fully capable of fighting your way out of here, yet you choose to stay. Not only that, you saved Scarlett Greyfell's life. Whatever it is you want to do, you have to be alive to do it", said Kyanos.

"You.. are not Brutus Amethyst... Who are you?", Crimson gazed intensely at Kyanos.

Kyanos smiled, "First tell me... Who are YOU?"

* * *

It is the middle of the night. The halls of the Temple were silent. It was dark, as some of the hallways were not properly lit. The only people who wandered the halls were guards on patrol. Them and Azura.

She moved silently through the halls, stopping at each corner to survey the area ahead. She ran up to a wall and reached for the torch hanging from it. She pulled the torch which appeared to be some kind of lever. The wall opened, revealing a small passage to what seemed to be an evidence room. She searched all over, until she finally found what she was looking for. A pitch black sabre. The sabre was so black, it casted a dark, shadowy aura. As she reached for the sabre, she heard a voice from behind her. "It's just an ordinary sabre. Quite dull too".

She quickly drew her dagger and turned around. It was Kyanos. The dagger's curved blade was about eight inches long and it had a light blue gem between the blade and the dark brown grip.

"What are you doing here?", she asked him.

"I came to greet a pretty lady", Kyanos smiled.

Azura glared at him, furiously.

"Someone with your beauty and brains should marry and live a peaceful life, but you chose to live in this harsh desert. Year after year of toiling behind the scenes. What is your reasoning?", he asked her.

Azura's eyes widened.

"I heard that Bronze Greyfell adopted a child of one of his maidservants. His daughter and that child were very close and grew up together. But five years ago, she vanished from the world. In truth, you became a spy for your adopted father. But what is your motive?", he asked her.

Azura, quickly placed the blade against his neck.

He smiled, "Be careful. Covering up the assassination of the Temple's future son-in-law would be quite the difficult task."

She was annoyed. She kept the blade against his neck. "Don't think I don't know. You're not Brutus Amethyst", she warned him.

"One with secrets will not reveal the secrets of others", Kyanos responded.

"The only reason I haven't exposed you is because you relieve Scarlett of boredom. If I see any signs of ill will, I will end you", she threatened.

She withdrew the dagger from his neck.

"Thank you, Miss Azura", he said with a smile.

She turned to pick up the sabre and examined it for clues.

"I already analyzed it. It's just an ordinary black sabre. There is plenty of wear... it appears ancient", he told her.

She unsheathed it, revealing an old black blade. She ran her finger along the blade of the sabre.

"I told you it was dull", he smiled.

He added, "In our hands, this weapon is rather useless. To see its true nature, it must be in the hand of its owner".

She doesn't say a word. She slid the blade back into the scabbard and left Kyanos in the room.

* * *

It was early morning. Crimson sat on the bench in his cell waiting to be ordered to work. He looked up when a guard unlocked his cell door. Azura stood behind the guard. She wore a light blue outfit, contrasting the darkness of the cellblock. In her hand was a basket woven from bamboo.

Once the cell door was open, the guard took a look at her. He noticed a light blue jaded hairpin in the shape of a seashell on her head."How about the hairpin?", he asked.

"Oh, this? It's just a cheap old thing", she replied.

She removed her silver earrings and placed it in the guard's hand.

"Be quick", the guard said, leaving after he locked the cell.

She set up the basket beside Crimson on his bench. He didn't even turn to look at her. "I heard slaves only get one boiled potato a day. So I brought some dishes for Sir Crimson to enjoy", she told him.

"Those earrings looked expensive", he said.

"Material wealth... You are born without and will die without", she responded.

"You shouldn't spend money on me", he told her.

She sat down next to him and slid up against him. She ran her soft fingers through his hair and whispered in his ear, "I don't help just anyone."

He turned to look at her. His eyes widened because he found her familiar. "Who exactly are you?", he asked.

"Me? I'm just a dancer at the Border Pavilion, Azura. There seems to be a cup of wine we didn't finish sharing", she replied with a smile.

They stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"Why.. do I know you from somewhere?", he asked.

She smiled, "I am whoever Sir Crimson wants me to be".

Without breaking eye contact, Crimson reached for her hand and pulled it up into view. In her hand was a dagger.

"What are you doing?", he asked, calmly.

"Is there something wrong with a young woman carrying a knife for self defense?", she returned his question.

She put the dagger away.

"Why do you keep staring at me?", he asked.

"No particular reason, I just like your eyes", she replied gently.

The guard sprinted back in. "You have to leave. Someone is coming", he said, unlocking the door.

She gave him once last smile before finally breaking eye contact and leaving.

* * *

Willow stood with two of her fellow assassins. They were in a barren, abandoned area of the desert, not too far from the Border Pavilion.

They saw Azura walking towards them. She walked slower than she usually does.

"Has the target been eliminated?", Willow asked, running up to Azura.

"No", Azura answered.

Willow thought for a moment. "Did they not let you in his cell?", she asked.

"I went in", Azura replied.

"Then why isn't the target eliminated?", Willow asked.

Azura looked toward the desert hills. "In Maple's letter, she stated that the surviving member of the Demon Sector had already arrived at End Province. I suspect Crimson is not working alone. If we kill a small fry like him, today, we will miss out chance to catch the larger fish tomorrow", Azura announced.

Azura turned and walked away.

"That would imply that there are other members of the Demon Sector", Willow thought to herself.

* * *

The main hall of the Border Pavilion was empty. Ofcourse it would be. This tavern is always abandoned during the day.

One person sat at a table in the center of the hall. It was Azura. Her eyes were no longer as emotionless as they used to be. She appeared to be contemplating something as she slowly sipped from a cup of wine.

"Is something the matter?", the proprietor asked, rolling into the hall in his chair.

"I drink alone occasionally", she answered.

"Don't forget my past profession. I was a spy, like you. My eyes never lie... What is on your mind?", he asked her.

She looked deeply into the cup of wine. "For years, I've never hesitated... but today I just couldn't do it", she replied.

He took a deep breath. "Was it that boy, Crimson?", he asked.

"My blade was inches from his neck... I could have killed him at any moment. But I couldn't follow through. For the first time in five years, I questioned my own judgement. I kept trying to convince myself that he was just a lowly hired assassin, and that he was just receiving orders from a higher power... I told myself that he wasn't the member of the Demon Sector... Teacher.. Did I make a wrong decision?", she asked after venting her thoughts.

"Like I said... I am no longer your teacher. Just an old crippled innkeeper", he responded.

"No... You will always be my teacher", she told him.

"Azura. You have done well. You have the Temple of Heroes' secret weapon", he assured her.

"He was completely defenceless. One mistake and all of our efforts would be for nothing", she thought out loud.

"When I was a young spy, I made plenty of mistakes. I would never acknowledge them. I wished I had someone who could just tell me what it was I had to do. In this line of work, it is very easy to be hit by the crossfire. You are an intelligent, young woman and you must act intelligently. An intelligent person does not make a fool's mistake", he finished and exited it the hall.

She sat, thinking to herself for a while. Suddenly, she drank the whole cup of wine in one gulp.

Willow came sprinting through the hall. "One of our sisters lead all of our black ranked spies on a mission, but none have returned", she announced.

Azura tossed the cup to the side and sprinted into action.

* * *

It was noon at the Temple of Heroes. Slaves worked under the blazing sun. Their jobs were to distribute a shipment of large bean sacks onto carts to be transported to the horses' stables. These sacks of beans were very large and heavy, they must be carried one at a time.

Crimson reached for a sack and threw it over his shoulder. Suddenly a horse bumped into him, causing him to drop the sack. Scarlett was the rider of said horse and she was accompanied by Bulwark. "Brother Bulwark. We do not require this many slaves just to carry a few sacks of beans?", she asked.

"Tell all of the slaves, to go do other things", she commanded.

"Yes, Young Mistress", Bulwark received the order.

"Except for him", she pointed at Crimson, who is reaching for the sack that had fallen to the ground.

"I want these beans transported to the stable. Don't even dream about taking a break until it is all done", she commanded.

A few guards brought her a stool to sit on while she watched.

Crimson hoisted the sack over his shoulder. She suddenly whipped the sack, breaking it. Beans flew all over the sand.

Crimson dropped the sack and turned to her. "What are you trying to do?", he asked.

"You are a slave, you do what I tell you to do", she spoke as if she were offended by his question.

"Pick them up", she added.

He stared at her. You could tell he was angry, but he did not express it.

"Did you hear me? Pick them up", she commanded.

He kneeled and started shoveling handfuls of beans into the sack from which they came.

"If a single bean doesn't make it to the stables... no dinner", she said, continuing to watch him struggle.

* * *

Azura sat atop a horse as it sprinted over the desert hills. She had searched for hours at this point but her team was nowhere to be found. But then... she suddenly stopped. Her face frozen in terror.

She saw another horse in the distance, with a red figure on top of it. It was the uniform for one of her elite assassins, who then fell from the horse.

Azura unmounted her horse and sprinted toward the assassin. She fell to her knees in front of the lifeless corpse of her companion. "No.. ", she said.

The woman's throat had been cut. The blood was dark, so it had been a while.

She mounted her horse and rushed in the direction the horse came from. She called the name of every single person in her fellow assassins.

She stopped again... this time dismounting her horse very slowly. She stumbled slowly forward as if she were about to faint. She suddenly fell to her knees... In front of her laid thirty corpses, half buried under the sand. She trembled at the sight of it. The sight of all of her fallen sisters.


	8. Chapter 7 - Into the Storm

Scarlett sat at the table in her room. Two maidservants set up her dinner. She was taking a break from torturing Crimson with labor. Kyanos barged in through the doors and sat down with her. He turned to the maidservants, "We're fine, here. Thanks".

They left and closed the door behind them. Scarlett began to eat.

"Princess... we need to talk", he said.

"If it's to beg for leniency, don't bother", she said, digging through her vegetables.

"He saved your life. Why must you torment him?", he asked.

"So what if it is... so what if it isn't?", she continued to eat.

"I understand, you must hate your enemies, but isn't this a little much?", he asked.

She stopped eating. "To me, this 'Crimson', or whatever, is not even considered a human. He is just another body to do labor around here. Do you know how a disobedient horse should be treated?... You break its spirit through hunger and exhaustion... naturally it will listen to you then", she responded.

He sighed, "But what happens if the horse is stubborn and would rather die than be trained?", he finished.

"Well then that would be out of our control now wouldn't it?", she said as she kept eating.

* * *

Kyanos marched to a courtyard to take a seat at one of the tables. He was still upset about his conversation with Scarlett. Aurelia sat there waiting for him.

She sat with her arms crossed and she appeared to be angry. "Where have you been?", she asked.

"I was out settling some business", he answered.

"Kyanos! I saw you! What were you doing in Scarlet Greyfell's room?!", she yelled.

"Speak louder will you?! Just announce to the world who I really am!", he yelled.

She realized she was speaking a bit too loud.

"We were just chatting", he said.

"Chatting?! Over what?!", she seemed furious.

He poured himself a cup of tea, "What are you so upset about?"

She stood up. "Let me tell you. The wedding date is fast approaching, they have already begun preparing the dishes for the feast", she warned him.

He calmly took a sip of tea.

She sat back down and pouted. "Are you really going to marry Scarlett Greyfell in place of Brutus Amethyst?", she asked him, gently.

"Why can't I? No matter what we say, Scarlett Greyfell is the fairest in the land. Marrying her wouldn't be a loss on my end", he answered.

She suddenly got upset and flustered. "B-b-b-b-but you said you only came to hear Braith Shadow's story and find the Lifeless Manual. You lied to me!", she said.

"How did I lie to you?", he asked, confused.

She became even more upset, "Y-you clearly like her! Last night I saw you, all disheveled, rushing from her room in the middle of the night!... . ...Did you and her... d-d-do...DO?!"

"'D-d-d-d-do do do', what are you talking about?", he responded.

"You know... did you do the deed?!", she asked loudly and angrily.

He laughed loudly and sarcastically pouring himself another cup of tea.

"What are you laughing about?!", she asked.

"She is in her prime years. You should know, the ladies of the End Province are very sheltered and have no defense against a great Casanova, like me. Often times they'd fall in love with me as soon as they see me! They throw themselves all over me!", he claimed.

She stood up again. "Th-then what do you do?!", she asked, curiously.

He stood up, next to her, puffing his chest out, "To put it nicely, as nature dictates, mankind follows."

"What does that even mean?", she asked, completely confused.

He looked her in the eye, "Anything... and everything", he smiled.

She screamed at the top of her lungs and stomped on his foot.

"You're going through with this fake act?!", she asked.

He hopped in pain, back to his seat. "Life is but a play, plays are but life. If you like, I can keep you around as a bedwarmer", he responded jokingly.

"What?!", she screamed.

"It would be unpaid, ofcourse, there are plenty of pretty maidservants in this Temple. So when the time comes, you'll still have to prove your worth. If you are worthy, then it may be a good thing for you", he continued to ramble.

"Y-... Kyanos! I hate you! I don't care anymore!", she yelled turning away from him.

He stood up. "Oh thanks my dear, Great Auntie", he said bowing his head to her several times.

He spread his hands out to his sides and stared at the sky, "The gods have shown mercy!"

He looked back at her. She looked at him, more furious than he had ever seen her.

"You said it yourself. You can't go back on your words!", he announced.

"What was it I said again?", she asked calmly.

"You said you wouldn't care anymore! If that's true, I'll be able to enjoy my time here happily! Don't worry I will burn an incense to thank your ancestors", he responded.

"You-! Why don't you like me?!", she asked, stomping her foot on the ground.

He stomped his foot on the ground, "Not only that, I would rather avoid you! Just looking at your face, I know our personalities clash-!"

She interrupted him by splashing the tea from one of the cups at his face and marched away.

He wiped his face and continued, "Since meeting you, nothing good has happened! I even almost died because of y-!"

She marched back and interrupted him again, tossing more tea onto his face and ran away.

"Leave and I'll be much happier.. The further the better!", he finished.

She left. It was suddenly silent. "I am so happy to be alone! HA HA HA!", he yelled loudly.

* * *

Azura walked slowly through the desert. She looked very weak, as though she could collapse at any moment. She can't help but blame herself. She failed them as a leader, she failed them as a sister.

Willow appeared over the horizon, on a horse. Once there, Willow dismounted the horse.

"Azura, where is everyone?", Willow asked.

Azura's appeared lifeless. Her dark pupils appeared shrunken and her face was even more pale than it was previously. She raised her hand, which dripped with blood. The blood of her sisters. In her hand were thirty-one tags, soaked with blood.

Willows eyes widened and her hands trembled as she accepted the tags from Azura.

"They followed me loyally for five years... and I couldn't even give them decent gravestones... I could only bury them under the sand", Azura's voice trembled.

"The murderer must have been Crimson!", said Willow. Her voice full of rage.

"Don't make conclusions without sufficient evidence. Did you forget?... Crimson remains prisoner at the Temple of Heroes", Azura replied.

"Why are you speaking up for him in a situation like this?! We have had no peaceful day since that man arrived in this province!... That Brutus Amethyst said he would kill him... yet he still walks today", Willow vented her anger.

"We can no longer wait, Azura!", she finished.

Azura stopped to think. "The wounds were clearly caused by a single person, using a single weapon", Azura thought out loud.

Willow placed her hand on Azura's shoulder. "We must kill the horse, before the we can capture the rider. We WILL find the murderers, but first things first, we must kill Crimson", Willow commented.

"No... We keep him alive. Once we find who is in charge, we will kill them all together", Azura commanded.

"But as long as he is alive, Mistress Greyfell and the Temple of Heroes cannot live in peace", Willow defended her point.

Azura remained silent.

"Azura... You have forgotten one thing. Today marks five years of you acting working as a spy. Today, you relinquish your position and earn your freedom", Willow reminded Azura.

She continued, "Thirty-two of us have fallen. Only four of us sisters remain. Azura, your mission has been accomplished, you can leave the rest to me."

* * *

A shallow body of water. Crimson suddenly falls into it. He wiped the water from his face and took a look around. He saw nothing but endless white in all directions and the body of water he was in seemed to stretch on forever, in all directions. He was confused as to where he was at. Maybe he died and this endless white was his punishment. This was his hell. Suddenly, a shadow appeared from the blinding whiteness. As it approached him it took the shape of a woman. A woman wearing light blue.

It was Azura. She stood on top of the water and stood right in front him. His face lit up at the sight of her. She bent over to grab his arm and helped him up. When he stood up, he too was standing above the surface of the water. He turned and looked into her dark, black pupils and she looked up into his. She wrapped her arms around him and embraced him, leaning her head into his chest. It was silent. They were the only two people in this world. It was peaceful.

Crimsons eyes opened.

He laid on the bench in his cell. The sun is about to rise. He sat up, realizing it was all a dream.

* * *

Before the sun could rise, the four remaining assassins stood in line.

A secret passage opened from the wall ahead of them. The proprietor wheeled himself out of the room and closed it behind him. In his lap was a wooden box, which he smiled a dusted off.

"Azura, years ago, you chose this path. Master Greyfell promised that if you survived these five years, you would earn your freedom. That day has come. Congratulations, you are no longer a servant to the House of Greyfell", he announced.

"The Temple of Heroes is still in danger", said Azura.

"As long as there are people in the world, the world will never come to peace", he responded.

She did not look satisfied with his answer.

"You have done well. Master Greyfell planned to be here to say goodbye in person, but he has not returned", the proprietor continued.

He handed her the wooden box.

"This box holds everything you brought with you on the day you joined our ranks. We now, return it to you", he said proudly.

She placed the box on the table next to her.

"From today forth, you can spread your wings and fly away from this forsaken place. From this day forth Willow will become become acting leader of our ranks", he smiled.

Willow stepped forward. "Don't worry Azura, we'll take care of things from now on", she assured.

Azura's eyes saddened at the announcement.

Willow turned to the two remaining assassins, "Tonight we enter the Temple through the secret tunnel and assassinate Crimson", she commanded.

Azura stepped in between them. "The Demon Sector acts deviously. They rarely act alone. Crimson is our only clue. We capture nothing by killing him", said Azura.

"Thank you for your helpful advice, Azura. But you are no longer the one in charge. What I say goes", Willow commanded.

They all left, leaving Azura alone in the room. Her eyes were cold and calculated as she looked at the box.

* * *

The sun has finally risen. Crimson remained on the bench on which he woke up. He waited for the guard to take him to the workplace.

Four guards, rushed in and unlocked the cell door. They drew their swords, moving in for the kill.

A hooded figure in light blue appeared. The guards turned around. She wave her hand, creating a small gas cloud, knocking all of them out. She ran to Crimson and showed him her face, from under her hood. It was Azura. "Follow me", she whispered, grabbing a hold of his hand.

They ran out of the prison and straight out the front gate. Countless guards trailed right behind them.

* * *

Scarlett sat in her room. At the table, which was very much her favorite place in the world. The maidservants had just finished setting up breakfast.

She glanced at the food, but didn't start eating. She took a deep breath, "Pack up with food into a box for me".

"Yes, Mistress", they answered, in unison.

After the maidservants packed up the box, she picked it up and smiled. She made her way to the prison, where she realized the cell block was wide open and she ran for the Crimson's cell. She saw four guards getting up onto their feet, and no sign of Crimson. She dropped the box. "Where is he?!", she asked.

The four guards kneeled. "Someone... Someone helped him escape!", one of the guards said.

"Who?!", she asked.

"We don't know. The person's face was covered under a hood", one of them answered.

"A person marches into the Temple of Heroes and takes away a prisoner and you don't even know who that person is?! Based on the temple law, you all should receive the death penalty!", Scarlett angered.

"GO FIND THEM!", she commanded.

The four guards ran out of the cell block.

* * *

Hand in hand, Crimson and Azura continued to run. They approach a small forest line. Where they were met by another small army of guards. In total, they were surrounded by about one-hundred men. They looked into each other's cold black eyes.

As soon as the guards charged, they took action.

Crimson quickly disarmed a guard, arming himself with a sword. He began making his way through the crowd. He wasn't killing any of them. He only used the handle of the sword to knock them unconscious or striked them with the flat side of the blade. When he did leave cuts, they were not lethal and were meant to stun.

Azura dodged every blade, striking at the guards' wrists, causing them to drop their weapons. A group of guards charged at her, with their swords in line. She ran up the side of a tree to avoid the swords, which all lodged into the tree, below. She flipped backwards. On her way down, she grabbed the head of two of the guards and slammed them into the ground. When she got up, she was met with a kick to the back, sending her stumbling forward. But for some reason, she held her shoulder. Her reaction delayed... she turned and saw a blade coming right toward her. But Crimson appeared just in time, deflecting the sword with his own.

The guards crowded around them.

He held the sword in front of him, prepared for anything.

She picked up a sword from the ground, at the same time drawing the dagger from her side. With a different weapon in each hand, she raised her guard, crossing the blades in front of her.

Crimsom and Azura stood back to back, surrounded by a sea of guards.

Together, they charged in a single direction, taking out guards, left and right. Crimson knocked a guard down on his knees. Azura stepped off the guard's shoulder, flipping into the air. While midair, she launched her sword, pinning the arm of another guard to the tree. When landing, she wrapped her legs around another guard's head and neck, using that momentum to flip them into the ground.

She quickly leapt back onto her feet and sprinted towards Crimson. He reached his arm out as she grabbed a hold of it. Using her momentum, he swung her into the air. She stepped across the chest of several guards knocking them backwards into another wall of guards. He let go as she swung behind his back and landed.

Together they charged through the crowd. He blocked and deflected the blades, while she moved in with her dagger to immobilize them.

She broke through an opening and was free of the army of guards. She turned around to see Crimson sprinting in her direction, but a row of guards stood in between them. Suddenly, Crimson jabbed his sword into the ground and used the momentum to catapult himself into the air, performing a somersault over the guards.

They have both broken free. She grabbed his hand and they continued to run into the desert ahead of them. The guards wouldn't chase after them. Along the desert horizon they saw a large dark cloud. A large sandstorm was coming their way. All of the guards retreated, but Crimson and Azura headed straight into the darkness of the sandstorm.

With his hand in her's, she led him deep into the storm and through a thick cloud of sand. They could barely see ahead of them, but they what they did see shook them to the core. A large sand twister, coming straight for them.

"Jump!", she yelled, suddenly.

They leaped down a tall desert hill and rolled down the steep hill, holding onto one another.

When they finally reached the bottom she landed on her back, while he laid over top of her. He put his arm over her face to protect her from the sand and debris. Then tucked his head away, against her's.

At least an hour went by... The storm had began to calm. They were half buried in sand. He lifted his to get a look around. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Are you alright?", she asked, as he got off of her.

Their clothes were covered in sand and their hair was messy and in their faces. Their skin was covered in many small scratches and were both completely exhausted and dehydrated, struggling to even get on their feet.

As she managed to stand up, Crimson wrapped his hand around her neck.

"You're a skilled fighter... You understand this desert environment too well... and you are able to break into the Temple of Heroes with ease. You're not just an ordinary dancer. Who are you?", he asked her.

She calmly glared at him. "You'll be disappointed to find that I am just an average dancer. I have to face many disrespectful men... It is only natural that I can protect myself. In addition, I grew up in this desert. Every tree and every hill is etched into my brain", she responded.

"It wasn't easy for me to break into the Temple", she finished. She suddenly disrobed, exposing her bare, naked torso. Her skin was pale and smooth, throughout. There was a deep cut in her shoulder. The cut was fresh and was still bleeding.

After seeing the cut, Crimson turned his gaze away.

"I almost lost my life, coming to rescue you... What else would you like to know?", she added, pulling her robe back over her body.

"When I arrived at Border Pavilion... You acted very strange..", Crimson commented.

She looked into his eyes. "You are strange... Must you need a reason for everything?... If everyone acted like you, it would be very tiresome", she said, calmly.

"That day I was curious... I wanted to know what was in here", she said, placing her hand against his heartbeat.

He removed his hand from her neck and sat down on the ground.

"I hide nothing in my heart", he responded.

"Then why do you lock it away so tight?", she asked.

He said nothing. But he stared at his hand. A habit he had whenever he didn't know what to say.

"You know who I am... Now, tell me.. Who are you?", she asked.

"I told you... I am Crimson", he responded.

"Tell me something beyond your name", she requested.

He put his hand down and looked up into her eyes. "I am just an ordinary person", he said.

She suddenly leaned onto his chest and held him tight. "If you don't want to tell me, then that's alright, too... Whenever this storm passes. You should go find your friends", she stated.

"What makes you think I have accomplices?", he asked her, slowly.

"In these years, many have attempted assassinations against the Temple of Heroes. But, you were the only person to ever make the attempt alone", she answered.

"I will be the last", he announced.

She suddenly realized that her hair was no longer pinned up and reached up, searching her head. She searched around and began digging through the sand.

"What... are you doing?", he asked.

"My hairpin... my mother... she-". She fainted.


	9. Chapter 8 - The Blue Sea

_Five years earlier..._

 _Azura was sixteen years old. Her mother worked as a maidservant in the Temple of Heroes. Azura had lived here since she was an infant, so this temple that resided in the middle of the desert was the only world she knew. Her mother used to live by the sea and had always cherished those memories. She would often tell stories to Azura about a beautiful endless blue body of water and since she was a child, Azura had dreamed to see the ocean. In one year's time, her mother would earn freedom and promised to take Azura to the sea, so she could see it for her own eyes._

 _Although she dreamed of the blue sea, Azura loved it here and had become best friends with the Temple Master's daughter, Scarlett. Scarlett was only a year younger than her, so they grew up playing together. They were so close, Master Greyfell and his wife treated her like their own daughter._

 _Until one day... Scarlett's mother passed away. She was poisoned. The maidservant who served her the meal was taken in for immediate execution, Azura's mother was to face the blade. That day, everything changed._

 _Azura and Scarlett had just returned from a day of horse-riding to the news of their mothers. At the news of the execution, Azura sprinted off, to try and stop it. Scarlett dropped to her knees, sobbing, at the news of her mother's death._

 _Azura sprinted through the halls and courtyards, trying her best to get there before it happened. But she didn't make it in time. All that was left on the execution platform was a pool of blood. Sitting in that puddle of blood, was a hairpin. The hairpin was light blue in color and had the shape of a seashell at the dull end. It was her mother's prized possession. She kneeled in front of the blood, tears running down her face. Her hands trembled as they reached into the pool of blood to pick up the blood drenched pin. She held the pin against her body and kneeled at that spot and wept until morning. No one came to see her. No one cared. She was merely the daughter of a maidservant. Her tears had dried, leaving her eyes cold and emotionless._

 _When she finally rose, her seemingly lifeless body stumbled around until she reached a large ceremony. It was the burial of Mistress Greyfell. Many had come to attend the ceremony, including the citizens of End Province. At the very front, beside the casket, Scarlett kneeled, still sobbing. Azura only watched from the distance._

 _When the ceremony ended, Scarlett approached Azura, telling Azura to stay out of her life. Scarlett will never forgive Azura and her mother for what they've done. Azura approached Master Greyfell and begged for an opportunity to quickly earn her freedom. He proposed that she worked for his secret league of assassins, helping to protect the temple. In five years time, she would earn her freedom. On that day... Azura disappeared from the world._

* * *

Present day...

Scarlett paced back and forth directly behind the temple gates holding a black sabre in her hand.

A guard approached her, "We have news on Crimson", he kneeled.

"Where?!", she asked.

"Our men saw him walking around the streets of End Province", the guard answered.

"Is he okay? Is he hurt?", she asked worriedly.

The guard thought for a moment and answered, "There appeared to be a few scratches, but he was fine."

"That's great!", she let out a big smile.

The guard, confused as to her sudden mood change. No one had seen her smile in years.

It was a beautiful smile, the most beautiful he had ever seen.

Scarlett regained her composure, "Uh... We shouldn't let a serious criminal free".

"We will send our best warriors to capture him", the guard announced.

"No!... I'll go myself. Fetch my horse", she commanded.

As the guard withdrew, Kyanos entered the area with a cup.

"Hi, princess, I see you've been missing sleep, so I had someone prepare you some medicine", said Kyanos.

"Thank you. But I'm not not sick", she replied.

"Oh. But you're love sick, because of that slave, Crimson. I see how your face lights up around him", he smiled.

She blushed, "What are you talking about?! Are you insane?!"

He let out a loud laugh. "I saw the way you smiled at the news of his wellness", he smiled.

"You were eavesdropping?!", she asked.

"Yes. And this cup is just wine!", he laughed, drinking the whole cup in one gulp.

"Ofcourse I would be happy. The location of the escapee and is a good thing, we will apprehend him", she continued.

"Just let him go", he said.

"Why?", she asked.

"As a thank you for saving you in the desert that one day and as future leader of the Temple of Heroes, it's best to exercise leniency", he replied.

"Even if I released every slave in that prison, I wouldn't release him", she concluded.

* * *

Azura woke up in her bed at the Border Pavilion. The proprietor sat at her bed side.

"You're finally awake", he said,

"How long have I been out?", she asked.

"Crimson carried you to Pavilion two days ago", he answered

"Where did he go?", she asked.

"He rushed into town. Don't worry, Willow left this morning, she led the team to assassinate him", he asked.

Her eyes showed signs of frustration.

"What's going on with you, recently? You've been going off the book, even releasing a dangerous prisoner from the Temple of Heroes", he stated.

"I only wanted to earn his trust... hoping he would reveal he is working with", she replied.

"How did that work?", he asked.

She shook her head. "Don't worry. He did not find out my identity", she ensured.

"I hope you are not showing bias toward this boy", he said, rolling out of the room.

As soon as he left the room, she leaped onto her feet and grabbed her dagger.

* * *

Crimson walked slowly through the busy streets of End Province. He no longer wore his white slave uniform. He was once again wearing black. All black. His aura radiated with darkness as his emotionless pale face made its way through town.

From around the corner, Willow and her three assassins trailed him.

"You won't escape this time", Willow said.

She commanded one of them to continue following him while her and the others split to gather the weapon necessary to kill him from a distance.

The assassin followed him all the way to a gazebo in the middle of nowhere. There was some plant life, here. A lot of tall desert grass. The assassin ducked behind the grass and watched as he stood motionlessly inside the gazebo.

"What's he doing? Waiting for someone?", she whispered to herself.

A small fog slowly drifted past her face. Her vision began to fade and she collapsed.

Crimson turned to see what the sound was. He saw the assassin's hand fall out from behind the grass. A black figure emerged slowly from behind the tall grass. That person dressed in black from head to toe. A veil covered their entire face. Only a pair of shriveled hands were visible.

"Mother", Crimson dropped to one knee.

"You were followed...", she said.

He bowed his head in shame, but said nothing.

"Have you done what I have asked you to do?", she asked.

He looked up to her.

"Make Scarlett Greyfell fall in love with you! Once you've accomplished that she'll lead you right to her bastard father. Or have you forgotten?!", her voice was harsh and bitter.

He bowed his head to her.

"I... am trying", he replied slowly.

"Have you forgotten your purpose?! They murdered your father", she raised her voice.

His body trembled. After a moment of silence, he responded, "I must kill that man".

"Those MEN. Those PEOPLE who killed your father...", she scolded him angrily.

He lowered his gaze to the ground, again.

She handed him a pouch. "Here are your rations and your medicine...", she said, before disappearing from sight.

He stared emotionlessly at the pouch in his hand. He stood up and walked away. His eyes never left the pouch.

* * *

The assassin woke up. She saw no sign of Crimson. "Shit", she said and rushed back into town.

She found Willow shortly after. Willow held a crossbow in her. The arrow was laced with a deadly poison.

"I lost him", she said to Willow.

Willow sucked her teeth, "How could this happen?!", she asked.

Another assassin ran up to Willow, "We found him!"

They rushed through town, where they see Crimson sitting outside of a restaurant. He ate very slowly. A bowl of noodles and vegetables.

Willow quickly pointed the crossbow at him, closing one of her eyes to aim. "This is for my sisters", she said.

As she was about to pull the trigger, Azura appeared, pushing the crossbow's aim at the ground.

Willow, furious, turned to Azura. "What are you doing here?!", she whispered.

"You can't kill him before revealing his identity", Azura said.

"He is an assassin who infiltrated the Temple of Heroes", Willow replied.

"If you kill him now, the temple will be in even greater danger", Azura said.

"You are no longer one of us. This is none of your business. Restrain her!", Willow commanded.

Two of the assassins crossed their daggers across Azura's throat.

"Everything I've done is for the sake of the Temple of Heroes", Azura said. Although her eyes were calm and cold, her voice filled with frustration.

"Silence. You have fallen for that man, haven't you?", Willow said.

"What kind of nonsense are you spewing?", Azura asked.

Willow ignored her and aimed the crossbow back at Crimson. "I won't miss", she said.

Suddenly a white horse appeared in front of Crimson, blocking Willow's view of him.

"Shit", she whispered.

It was Scarlett. She sat atop the horse, looking down at Crimson.

"If they take him back to the temple, we'll lose our opportunity to kill him", Willow said.

Scarlett pulled out her whip and whipped at the table.

Crimson, didn't flinch. He didn't even turn to look. He just continued to slowly eat his bowl of noodles.

"You are my slave. Kneel down to me", she commanded.

Crimson did not react.

While the assassins were all distracted, Azura saw her chance to slip away.

When Willow turned around, she noticed that Azura disappeared. "Where'd she go?", she asked.

A small knife suddenly flew and lodged into Crimson's table. There was a note attached to the handle.

He quickly grabbed. It read, "I know where Bronze Greyfell is. -Azura"

He looked up and saw her around the corner and immediately got onto his feet and walked toward her.

Scarlett was furious at the lack of attention he was paying her. "Slave!", she screamed, before looking up and seeing her old friend. Her eyes widened in shock by the sight of Azura.

"Stop him!", she screamed. Her guards quickly surrounded him.

Now that Crimson had eyes on the prize, no one can stand in his way. The guards charged at him, but with a single spin he sent all the guards to the ground and dust into the air.

When the dust cleared Azura and Crimson vanished.

"Follow them!", Scarlett and Willow commanded at the same time.

* * *

Crimson followed Azura deep into the desert. Willow was right behind them, but remained hidden

"Where is he?!", he asked. He had never sound this passionate about anything in his life.

"I know that you want to know where Bronze Greyfell is, but I never operate at a loss. If you want to buy something, you must have a trade to offer", she said.

His eyes grew cold, as the he calmed his anticipation. "What do you want to know?", he asked.

"Who are you?", she asked.

"I have answered that a few time-", he responded.

"Not once have I been satisfied with your answer", she interrupted him.

He said nothing.

"Fine. I have three questions, if you answer them truthfully, I will tell you where he is", she continued.

He nodded once.

"Do you originate from the Demon Sector?", she asked.

After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"Where are the rest of you?", she asked.

"I am the sole survivor of the Demon Sector", he replied.

Willow had been eavesdropping and thought to herself, "He's alone. Then there's no need for him to be alive".

He spoke, "One more question... ask wisely".

After a long pause she looked deep into his eyes and finally spewed out a question, "What do you think of me... as a woman?"

For an entire minute, it was silent. They stared at one another. Their eyes were both black and cold, like a wintry night.

"Tell me", she said.

"You are a kind-hearted woman... This place does not suit you. You should leave", he finally spoke.

Her gaze pointed down. "Bronze Greyfell is a very skilled swordsman. Not only that, he is always guarded by skillful experts. If you go, it is unlikely that you'll return", she told him.

"I never planned to return", he replied quickly, almost interrupting her.

She was surprised. She had never heard him respond so quick before.

"Where is he?", he asked her.

"Come with me to the Border Pavilion. I'll let you choose a weapon. Then I will send you on your way", she finished.

They both walked back toward the province.

* * *

Azura led Crimson into an empty room at the Pavilion. "Rest here for the night. I will take you in the morning", she said.

"I do not want to wait", he said.

"You've waited long enough. What's another day?", she asked.

She continued, "The men of the temple will not let you approach Bronze Greyfell so easily".

"They will not stop me", he finished.

She poured him a glass of water. "I know you're tired", she handed him the cup.

He looked down at the cup. No one had ever cared for him. Not since the say he was born. These words were brand new to him, so he did not know what to say. He lifted his hand and stared at it.

"Just rest, here. I will bring you dinner", she said, leaving the room.

Immediately she was met by Willow, who stood furious in the hallway before her.

The two made their way to the pavilion roof to talk.

"Azura. You've done enough. You've earned your freedom. Leave. We are capable of handling things around here", said Willow.

Azura asked, "What is your next move?"

"Eliminate the threat to the Temple of Heroes", Willow spoke very coldly.

"The three of you don't have the ability to stop him", Azura replied.

"I knew it!", said Willow, turning to Azura.

"Yes?", Azura asked, calmly.

"You can't stand the thought of killing him", Willow said, spitefully.

"What are you saying?", Azura asked. Her voice began to show signs of anger.

Willow responded, "Oh. Are you angry now?... Could it be I got to the heart of the matter? We have had many opportunities to kill that man, yet you always manage to ruin it!"

"I was waiting fr a better opportunity", Azura said.

Willow raised her voice, "Opportunity?! You said we had to find out whether he had accomplices, has background... we know it all! All that matter is that he is here with an ill will toward the Temple of Heroes!... Yet you still don't see the bigger picture! Azura, you are in love with this man!"

Azura grabbed Willow by the collar, "What rubbish are you speaking?! I will never love any man, let alone an enemy! Because of him, so many of our sister's lives were lost"

Azura let go of Willow. She calmed down and regained her composure. The anger in her eyes cooled into ice.

"Tomorrow... I will kill him", Azura announced.

* * *

Two days after Aurelia left End Province.

She went south, toward her home. She mumbled many unrepeatable curse words as she walked through the streets of a small town. Although it had been a day, she was still very upset about the big argument. She stopped in her tracked when she heard shouting from behind her.

A man wearing nothing but his undertrousers stomped through the streets. Yelling and shoving everyone in its path. His entire body and face was covered in dirt. It looked as if he bathed in mud.

She ran to around the corner and peeked out. As the man approached she recognized his face. She pulled her head back around the corner to hide. "Brutus Amethyst?", she asked herself.

Four men in purple ran out of a local inn and greeted their master. "Hello, Master Amethyst!", they said in unison.

Brutus froze, but the look of anger on his face stayed true. Suddenly he started kicking and beating them. "Where have you useless morons been?!", he screamed.

"Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!", he said, slapping each one of his guards as hard as he could.

"Someone buried me in the ground with my head sticking out nearly a week ago!", he continued to scream in the middle of the street.

"I was down there for four days!", he screamed.

"I screamed for all four days! Did you not hear me or were you not searching?!", he grew angrier and angrier by the minute.

"I'm starving go order me some food!", he finished.

They led him into the restaurant to eat.

Aurelia bit her thumb nail. "This isn't over, huh, Kyanos?... The real Brutus Amethyst has returned and he is going to gut you like a fish", she said to herself.

"You dug your own hole, Kyanos. I won't save you this time", she said, walking away.

But she quickly turned around and said, "Fine... One last time."

She stopped one of the civilians, whispered in their ear and handed them a piece of silver.

People came running out of the restaurant. The guards had chased them out. Brutus ordered everything on the menu.

Aurelia moved closer to listen in.

Brutus cried as he ate the food. He usually hated and tossed this peasant food onto the side of the street, but food had tasted so delicious to him. He aggressively bit into a chicken leg. "I heard his name... It started with Ky-... Ky-... ...Urgh! I can't remember his name! I'm going to rip him to shreds!", he screamed.

Startled, Aurelia figured it was time to get out of there. As she turned to leave she was grabbed from behind. Two of the guards in purple grabbed and lifted her into the restaurant. A perverted grin appeared across Brutus' face. "Hello, pretty lady", he smiled.

"It has been a while since I've had a woman", he laughed loudly and maniacally.

"Kyanos will come save!", she yelled out.

He facial expression sunk. "Kyan-... Kyanos! That's his name!", Brutus got on his feet. He drew one of his guards' sword and held it to her neck. "Who is Kyanos to you?", he asked.

"H-h-h-he's my boyfriend! So you better watch yourself", she threatened.

He got up and walked out. "She'll be of use, bring her along", he said. His voice, his facial expression grew angry and grim.

"I have your woman... You will bow to me!", he screamed, marching toward the Temple of Heroes.


	10. Chapter 9 - Azura's Wrath

It was midnight at the Border Pavilion. These were the peak hours of business for this bizarre tavern. The music was energetic and of ancient Indian decent. Wine was being consumed like water. The visitors were drunk and loud. Gambling, drinking, music, dancing. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. All but one man... Crimson.

He sat at the center table, directly in front of Azura's stage. She danced in the center of a group of dancers. The group of dancers included Willow and the other two assassins. But who would know?

Azura wore light blue. The outfit was tight and revealed her abdomen. Women wanted to have her perfectly proportioned body and men wanted to be one against her perfectly smooth skin. She stretched out a long strip of light blue silk behind her back, from hand to hand. She waved the silk gracefully through the air. With every wave of of her hand, she took the breath away from everyone in the room. Her beauty was truly enchanting.

Crimson sat motionlessly, staring up at her. His face showed no signs of admiration. It appeared bored and expressionless. He suddenly stood up and walked away.

Azura glared at him, as he vanished into one of the dark hallways along the main hall of the pavilion. But she continued to dance.

About an hour later, she was done performing. Her and Willow walked quickly through the hallway of the pavilion. Although Azura was calm, Willow's face appeared frantic. The proprietor sat outside of Crimson's room.

"Azura... Crimson asks you to join him in his room", he spoke gently.

She said nothing. But she slowly entered the room.

Willow was worried. "What do we do? What if he figured out who she is?", she asked the proprietor.

"Lets leave. We should trust this in her hands", he replied.

Azura closed the door behind her and turned to see Crimson. He sat silently, staring into the table. The only light in the room was a candle, glowing brightly on the table.

Neither of them said anything. She walked over and stood across the table from where he sat. Although the candle was small, it's fluttering flame appeared to be the only life to exist in the room.

After minutes of silence, Crimson said, "...Dance".

She did not say anything... She took a bow and began to dance.

Her movements were very slow and excruciatingly seductive.

There was no music to accompany her dance. Only the sounds of silence.

Crimson did not lift his gaze to watch. His eyes never left the table. Even so, she continued to dance. The warm yellow glow of the flame illuminated her perfect, pale skin. She lifted the silk in her hands and began to spin in circles. She appeared as an angel dancing under the moonlight.

The tension in the room grew with every passing moment.

She slowly made her way to Crimson's side of the table. She stood behind him, placing her hand on his arm. Slowly, she traced a line from his arm, across his shoulder, to his other arm, leaving a strip of light blue silk draped across his shoulders.

He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the bench, beside him. Although they shared a bench, they sat facing opposite directions. Their faces were cold and lacked any form of expression.

"...If I die... will you grieve?", he asked her.

For a moment, it was silent. She did not turn her head, but his eyes moved toward his direction. "If I die one day... Will you grieve?", she asked.

He did not turn his head, but pointed his gaze at her. He stated, "...In order to learn the truth about a person... Do not listen to what she says... Instead... Look into her eyes."

They both turned their heads and looked into each other's eyes. "Tell me... What do you see?", she asked.

He stared deeper into her eyes and answered, "Pain".

She does not react.

"You do not belong here... You are unhappy with the things you do and you hate yourself for it?", he continued.

Her eyes slightly widened, "Hate... Myself?.."

"You've done terrible things, but will never admit to yourself that those things are true..", he said.

She turned away, pointing her cold stare ahead. "There is no such person in the world... Knowing what's wrong... But still doing it..", she responded.

He added, "Because it is wrong... It is especially hard to resist".

She stood up and still faced the same direction, opposite of him. "Crimson... Do you have to find Bronze Greyfell?", she asked, sincerely.

"Yes. It is the task I was born into this world to do... It is my destiny", he responded firmly.

She didn't respond.

"I enjoyed the dance. You can leave now", he finished, returning his stare to the table.

She walked slowly toward the door. But he grabbed her hand and placed a small pouch in it.

She held the bag in her hand, she knew immediately what it was, "Where did you get so much money?"

"After I leave, take that money and leave this place", he told her.

She held the pouch, "Are you purchasing my freedom?"

"Yes."

"...Then take me with you", she demanded, calmly.

"I will not take you with me", he answered.

She turned to look at him, "Then where would I go?"

He said nothing. He only stared into the table.

She turned away and walked to the door. Her hand reached to slide the door open. But before she did, "I am used to the desert, I am used to drinking the wine here, and I am used to the people...I will not leave."

"You are better than me. Atleast you have a choice... No matter what you do or what you say... You do not belong here", he said.

"Get some sleep", she said, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Immediately as she left the room, someone grabbed her hand and lead her down the hall. It was Willow. They entered Azura's bedroom and Willow silently closed the door after checking the surroundings.

"Azura. What happened in there?! What did he say?!", Willow asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry", Azura said, having a seat at the table.

"Why didn't you kill him?"

Azura lowered her gaze, "I didn't have the chance."

"No chance? Azura, I know how you operate. You could've blindsided him with a projectile or drug him. You've always had the ability to kill him. Why didn't you?!", said Willow.

Azura placed the small pouch on the table and slid it to Willow, who now took a seat. Willow opened the bag, she did not suspect so many gold pieces in such a small pouch.

"Where did all this money come from", Willow asked.

"Crimson... he wants me to leave and start a new life, using this money", Azura replied.

Willow slammed the pouch onto the table, "It's that you couldn't find the chance to kill him... you weren't willing to!"

Azura stared emotionless ahead but did not reply.

"I should've guessed. The reason that man is still alive is because you didn't want to kill him. You've fallen in love with that man!", Willow continued.

Azura's hands trembled at the thought of it, but her eyes remained cold and free of expression. "Impossible... It is impossible for someone like me to fall in love!", Azura responded, after a moment's hesitation.

Willow turned to her, curious to what she has to say.

Azura continued, "The reason I didn't kill him... is because I realized there is something that he has, but shouldn't."

Willow was very confused, "What?"

"Money", Azura replied.

She continued, "When he first arrived at the Border Pavilion, he barely had a penny... So where did he get all this money from? He is not the type of person who knows how to make money"

"This means he is not working alone. Someone is feeding him money-", she finished.

"Enough, Azura! There you go making up excuses again!", Willow interrupted her.

"We have followed Crimson for days. He has no accomplices! Time and time again, you come up with excuses for that man. What about your fallen sisters?! Have you thought about your remaining sisters? They've followed you loyally for so long. How is this fair to them?!", Willow vented her feelings.

"Most of our sisters have fallen. Each one of their memories cuts deep into my heart", Azura responded.

"Then you must fulfill your promise. Show him the wrath of the Azura I once knew. Kill that man, when the sun rises.", Willow finished.

"I will", Azura's voice trembled.

* * *

It was now morning and the sun is rising over the horizon, casting a yellow sea of light over the desert hills.

Azura sat in her room. She didn't get much sleep. In her hand, she held a brand new brown sabre. "This should do", she said to herself.

A waiter bursted through her doors, "Miss Azura! A guest is requesting your presence in the main hall!".

She was still observing the brown sabre, "Tell them they can come back later, this evening".

"This can't wait! The proprietor, he-... Just see for yourself!", he said, running out of breath.

She stood up and sprinted past him, out of the door and through the hall. When she reached the main hall, the proprietor was at his domino table as usual, but against his neck was a blade. A Temple of Heroes guard stood beside him, holding that very blade.

A figure emerged from behind the proprietor. The figure wore clothes of a reddish orange color. "...Scarlett...", Azura didn't know what else to say in the presence of her old friend.

Scarlett was slightly disgusted, "The Border Pavilion... I've never been to such a place".

"You ask for a dancer and you shall receive", Scarlett continued.

Azura did not react, "Have have requested me?"

Scarlett smiled, "Oh... I have no interest in you. They will be your guests today".

Ten guards moved into the main hall and surrounded Azura.

"Your loyalty is great and your contribution to the temple shall not go unrewarded. Today, all of you may have her", Scarlett commanded.

"Dancers of the order Pavilion only sell their talent, not their bodies, please forgive us Miss Greyfell", the proprietor spoke out.

Scarlett waved her hand. A guard carrying a large chest approached the proprietor's table and opened it, revealing a box full of gold.

Scarlett turned to the proprietor, "Is this not a business you're running, old man? I've just purchased this one dancer... and this money is enough to build three Border Pavilions".

The guard holding the blade to the proprietor's neck tightened his grip, "Without permission from the Temple of Heroes, don't think you can run a business in this town. Take this offer or we'll turn this place into a pile of sand".

"Shhhh... Don't spoil the surprise", Scarlett smiled.

She turned back to Azura, "Men. Have fun".

Azura raised the brown sabre and prepare herself for a battle, as the men closed in on her. They laugh softly and their smiles disgusting and full of lust.

"Stop", a voice spoke out.

Crimson entered the room.

"There he is. Arrest him!", Scarlett commanded.

The guards all turned their attention towards Crimson and charged with their drawn weapons.

Scarlett's eyes widened. Within thirty seconds all of her men laid on the ground squirming in pain.

Scarlett unsheathed her sword and charged at Crimson. She moved quite fast and gracefully. It was as if she were gliding across the floor.

Azura stepped in the way and tossed something at the ground.

Woosh! The room filled smoke, stopping Scarlett in her tracks.

Scarlett coughed and covered her face as the smoke cleared. The guards have all gotten to their feet and they too were coughing.

There was no sign of Azura or Crimson anywhere.

The proprietor smiled.

Scarlett's face grew red with anger. She closed her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs.

* * *

Kyanos was resting by the main gate of the Temple of Heroes. He smiled and peacefully sipped his tea, until something caught his eye. A group of injured guards walked through the gate.

Kyanos hopped to his feet and ran over to investigate. "What happened to you? Did I miss the big carriage accident", he smiled.

"It was that escaped slave", one of the guards groaned.

"Crimson?... Where is he?", Kyanos asked.

"Azura, from the Border Pavilion seduced him and took him away in front of the mistress", another guard replied.

Kyanos' expression changed, "Azura?... Not good. Something is about to happen".

"Mistress went after them by herself. We lost her, so we came for back up", another guard groaned.

At the news Kyanos ran out of the main gate. Immediately he was stopped by what seemed like an old tradesman. The old man was riding a camel and seemed to have traveled a decent way. "Greetings. I am a shop owner from a nearby town. I have been paid to bring you a message."

Kyanos, suspicious, "From who?"

"A pretty young lady. She went by the name of... Blaine... I believe. She said it was an urgent message and requested I deliver it to you immediately", the man replied.

"Thank you", Kyanos said, accepting the written message.

When he unfolded the paper, it read: "The Amethsyt jewel rises from the ground and will arrive at the Temple of Heroes soon".

Kyanos let out a long sigh, "How far is your shop?"

"About a day's hike", the man replied.

Kyanos handed the man a small piece of silver, "Thank you".

The man and his camel disappeared into the desert horizon.

Kyanos let out another sigh. "Azura is going to kill Crimson and Brutus Amethyst is going to kill me... Question is... do I rescue Crimson or myself first?", he asked himself.

After a brief moment of thinking, he turned around toward the gate and yelled, "Does anyone have a horse I can borrow?!"

* * *

It had been an hour since Crimson and Azura escaped from the clutches of Scarlett and her guards. They had been traveling north ever since. They approached a cliff, between a large gap in the ground. The gap was about ten meters wide and stretched as far as the eye can see.

"We're here", Azura said.

"Is Bronze Greyfell here?", Crimson asked.

"Yes... He had a heated battle about a month ago and has been hiding in this valley to to recover his injury", she replied.

She turned to him and handed him the brown sabre,"Down there, he has thirty-six warriors of extraordinary skill protecting him... Many have come to this hiding place, seeking to kill Bronze Greyfell. None survived long enough to see his face".

"Thank you, Miss Azura", he said, walking to the edge of the cliff. He stared down into the deep valley. Although the sun was high in the sky, even its light was not enough to shine into the abyss. Nothing but blackness radiated from below.

"Sir Crimson", he heard her speak, gently.

Before he could turn around, her arms wrapped around him, from behind. She embraced him and held him tightly. The only sound that could be heard was the wind, howling through the canyons. At that moment, Crimson was at peace. In all of his twenty years, he had never felt such warmth. "Please... don't go", she softly spoke.

"Why?", he asked.

"Is there no force in the world that can stop you?", she asked, still holding him tightly.

"Follow my instructions from last night. Go to a place where no one knows you... and live the life you want", he told her.

From the corner of her eye, Azura sees Willow and the other two assassins. Her sisters. They hid behind sand hill, waiting for her to make her move. They had gotten here early, as this was the location Azura promised to meet them in.

She lightly bit her lip, "You really are heartless".

"Sorry... I don't deserve love", he replied.

"Fine... if you want to leave so badly... I have a gift for you", she said.

She released her embrace and he turns around to face her. He looked deep into her eyes, "I have a gift for you too".

He reached into his person and slowly pulled out what appeared to be a small wooden stick. But once in the ligjt, she knew exactly what it was. It was a hairpin. At the dull tip of the hairpin was the shape of a seashell. It was hand carved to perfection, evening capturing every crack along the pin. When she caught a glimpse of it, her eyes froze still and her lips began to tremble. "I made it... It is not as good as the one your mother left to you... but here... take it", he said.

She said nothing. She just stared deep into his eyes. Her heart had not felt a feeling this strong in years. Her heart ached and her limbs felt weak. Her body wouldn't even move on its own. Suddenly, his hand reached up and he slowly pinned it into her hair, the way it was before she lost it in the storm.

"What is your gift for me?", he asked.

She smiled, but her voice trembled, "Close your eyes".

He did not hesitate, closing his eyes immediately. He waited patiently for her gift.

She took a look at his face. She had never seen him so at peace. But the look on her face suddenly grew cold and she plunged a knife into his chest.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the knife, her hand still grasped onto its handle. A stream of blood slowly dripped from his mouth. The brown sabre that was in his hand dropped to the ground.

He looked up to her, his eyes were as wide as they could ever be.

For a moment, it was if time had froze. Nothing could be heard but the wind howling through the valley.

Her eyes were as cold as ice.

His eyes were boiled with pain. He thought he had experienced the worst kinds of pain in life, but none could compare to the pain he felt at that moment. "Why?...", he stared into her expressionless face.

"Sorry. I am a secret agent of the Temple of Heroes", her voice trembled.

Tears began to well up in Crimson's eyes.

She released her grip of the knife and gently shoved him over the edge of the cliff.

In his eyes, everything happened so slowly. The light of the sky grew smaller as he descended and the darkness surrounded him. Before long, he had disappeared into the blackness of the abyss.

She stood at the edge motionlessly.

"You are better than me. Atleast you have a choice... No matter what you do or what you say... You do not belong here", his voice echoed in her head.

Her hand shook uncontrollably as she slowly removed the hairpin from her head. She held it out in front of her as her lips began to quiver. It truly was just like the one her mother left her.

Her eyes suddenly became wide as she placed her hand against her cheek. For the first time in five years a tear had fallen from Azura's eyes.


	11. Chapter 10 - An Iron Spoon

Scarlett and Bulwark walked quickly through the halls of the Temple of Heroes. "There is a group of men waiting in the main yard. Their leader claims to be Brutus Amethyst", said Bulwark.

Scarlett didn't say anything, she just prayed that it wasn't true.

When they arrived at the main yard, Scarlett saw a young man wearing a purple outfit. The outfit was very elegant and was decorated with ruby stones. On his waist was a slim sword. Behind him stood four guards, who seemed to not be paying attention to anything. Brutus Amethyst had finally arrived at the Temple of Heroes.

Once the Brutus caught a glimpse of Scarlett, he ran to her, "The fairest in the land, they weren't lying. You are a thing of beauty, aren't you?"

Bulwark stepped between Scarlett and Brutus, "How dare you speak to Young Mistress with such disrespect?!"

"I was just complimenting her. Miss Greyfell, you're beauty is truly beyond description", Brutus giggled.

He lifted a grape to his mouth and flicked his tongue against it, letting out a devilish smile.

Bulwark became furious and unsheathed his sword. 'Wait", Scarlett ordered.

"May I ask your name?", she asked.

One of the guards cleared his voice and announced, "Of the Amethyst family, one of he most famous hero clans of the Central Region! The eldest son of the Amethyst stands before you! Brutus Amethyst!"

Brutus smiled proudly and stuck out his chest.

Bulwark and all the guards in the main yard bursted into laughter.

Brutus looked around, annoyed, "What? Why are you people laughing?!"

"Brutus Amethyst arrived here a little under a week ago. Brothers arrest them!", Bulwark commanded.

Brutus' four guards unsheathed their swords and stepped between the temple guards and Brutus.

"Sun, moon, sand, sky, earth, wind, steel! That is the series of passwords our fathers used when communicating. I'm sure you're familiar, Miss Greyfell.", Brutus cried out.

Everyone remained still. Bulwark turned to Scarlett for confirmation. "That is correct...", she said, softly.

She suddenly turned away and left.

* * *

Hours had gone by. The black sabre sat on a table. Scarlett sat across the table from the sabre. She stared at it uncontrollably, "Why must fate continuously fool me?... Crimson, where are you?"

"Please let nothing bad happen to you", she said to the sabre.

"My wife! Where are you?!", a voice cried out.

Scarlett grabbed the sabre and hid it under her bed. As she turned around her doors busted open. Brutus Amethyst stumbled into her room. He was drunk and had a silly smile across his face..

"Sir Amethyst. What are you doing?", she asked.

Brutus let out a huge laugh. "We are to be wed, ofcourse I can be here! Your is my room, now. Come", he wrapped his arm around her.

She shoved him to the ground, "Sir Amethyst, behave. We are not married."

He grinned, "I have behaved... for days I have behaved... I need sex..."

He got up on his feet, "I can't survive much longer without it!"

He grabbed her hand and dragged her toward her bed. She slapped him across his face.

She was unamused and most of all... she was disappointed.

"Men!", she yelled out.

Bulwark and a few guards appeared on the scene. "Master Amethyst! How dare you be rude to Young Mistress?! I ask that you leave, this instant!", Bulwark threatened.

Tears flowed from Brutus face, "My wife... please don't be angry... If you do, I'll have to worry for you."

"After you!", said Bulwark, letting the guards escort Brutus from the room.

Once everyone was gone, Bulwark kneeled beside Scarlett, "Are you alright, Young Mistress?!"

"I'm fine", she replied, calmly.

"After some questioning, Brutus' impersonator may be Kyanos, an unprincipled wanderer", he informed.

She turned to him, "Kyanos?"

"Yes. I have made the preparations. If he ever shows his face, I will have him captured", he replied.

She turned her gaze at her bed and let out a long sigh.

"Young Mistress. There is a matter I've had in my heart for a long time... but I don't know if I should say it", Bulwark said.

"You are the person I trust the most. Growing up, I have always looked to you as an older brother. If you want to say something, just say it", she smiled.

He replied, "Your happiness is my heart's greatest desire and I-"

For a moment, he hesitated. "...this Brutus Amethyst is a scoundrel! I ask you to please call off the wedding!", he bowed his head.

"Brother Bulwark... In the time my father has been away, everything I do is like walking on ice... Even though I am the heir to the Temple of Heroes, I will never be respected or accepted as such. The only person who truly treats me like a person, is you Brother Bulwark", she said.

"Young Mistress. Your father will return soon. We will both go to him and plead our case", Bulwark insisted.

"You know my father... He never changes his mind once he has spoken. This is the future he has decided for his daughter. My life has never been my own... everything has been decided for me, since birth... and looks like my life will never truly be mine. Excuse me, I would like to be alone", she stood up and left the room.

Bulwark said nothing, but his face showed signs of sorrow as he watched her leave.

* * *

Azura sat in the middle of the main hall of the Border Pavilion. She was alone. Not a single soul was around her. She sat there motionlessly, struggling to clear her muddled mind.

She heard footsteps walk through the main entrance. It was Scarlett.

"Scarlett... have you lived well these past few years?", Azura asked.

Scarlett took a seat at an adjacent table, "Whether I have lived well or not has nothing to do with you."

"I know you still hate me", said Azura.

"Hate you?... Why would I hate you? I don't know you... Whatever you do does not concern me", Scarlett responded.

"You're right... I have nothing to do with you...", Azura commented.

Azura stood up and walked to Scarlett's table, "Scarlett, you are too headstrong and childish. This isn't the type of place you should be at-"

Scarlett interrupted her, "I can go wherever I please. I have come here for one thing... Crimson."

"Crimson?"

"Where is he?", Scarlett asked.

"I don't know", Azura replied.

Scarlett became annoyed, "You took him right in front of me! Now you claim to not know where he is"

After a moment, Azura responded, "Considering that you were once my friend, don't push me. I suggest you leave."

"If I had not considered that we were once friends, I would have killed you long ago", Scarlett threatened.

"Where is he?!", Scarlett continued.

Azura's eyes were cold and expressionless, "He's dead".

Scarlett stood up, "What?!"

"I killed him", Azura replied.

"What right do you have to do that?!", Scarlett cried out.

"He's just a slave. Why must you be so concerned?", Azura asked, expressionlessly.

Scarlett's eyes began to tear up, "He is just a slave... but he is MY slave! Azura... you have no right to touch the things I own."

For minutes, they stood there, motionless and silent. Scarlett had time to calm down.

"What were you really doing these past few years?", Scarlett asked.

"I'm just an ordinary dancer, here to earn some money and pass the time", Azura responded.

"Is it really that simple?", Scarlett asked.

Azura stepped up to Scarlett, "You are the heiress of the Temple of Heroes. You have a bright future ahead of you. Don't waste it all on a slave."

"Enough of your lecturing. I just want Crimson!", Scarlett claimed.

"I told you. I've killed him", Azura replied.

"Why?! Why have you done it?!", Scarlett screamed out.

"He was an assassin. His existence was a threat to your life... He had to die!", Azura raised her voice.

Tears escaped Scarlett's eyes and flowed down her face.

"Stay away from people like him. Don't let a slave ruin your future", Azura continued.

Tears continued to roll down Scarlet's face, "Future?... This morning I was greeted by a guest. That person is oppressive. He finds joy in bullying and humiliating women. He is known for all kinds of evil deeds. Everyone at the temple treated this-... this villain like he is some respected and honored guest... and in a few days... I'll have to share a bed with that man."

Azura did not reply but her eyes were filled with pity.

"He is Brutus Amethyst... and he is my future. I have to spend the rest of my life with that disgusting human being", Scarlett concluded.

"Scarlett. The Amethyst family has the power to safeguard the Temple of Heroes. That is how your father plans to keep you safe. Things aren't as simple as they seem", Azura stated.

"We don't have a choice! The one choice I want to make is Crimson! He drew my sword. I once said, whoever had the ability to draw my sword, I would marry him!", said Scarlett.

Azura was shocked, "He... drew the Emerald Sword?". Azura paused before continuing, "That means nothing. He is still an assassin!"

The look in Scarlett's tear-filled eyes grew into hatred, "Azura. I don't care what or your mother did in the past... You killed Crimson. I will make you pay with your life!"

Scarlett drew the sword at her side and charged at Azura.

Scarlett continuously swung her blade at Azura, but Azura did not fight back. Azura retreated, doing her best to avoid the blade at any cost.

Azura constantly deflected the blade by blocking at Scarlett's wrist.

Scarlett backed her into a hallway and eventually, into a dead end. Azura no longer had any room to retreat from the ruthless blade of Scarlett.

After letting out a long sigh, Azura drew the dagger she always kept hidden in her side and stood guard.

Their blades clashed, but a sound caused them to stop.

It was the sound of a screaming woman and it came from the room directly behind Azura. Side by side, they kicked opened the doors and what was behind the door was a disgusting sight, to say the least.

Brutus Amethyst was in bed with a woman. They were both bare of any clothing. The woman had a bruise around her left eye and had streams of tears running down her face. Brutus realized someone entered the room and turned to see his future wife, Scarlett.

He looked extremely surprised. He grabbed a pillow, covered his genitals, and walked over to Scarlett, "Th-this isn't what it looks like... She seduced me!"

He went back to drag the naked woman from the bed, as she was scrambling to cover up, "I was just teaching her lesson on behalf of her parents!"

He slapped the woman across the face, "Leave, you whore!"

Azura and Scarlett's hands seemed to tremble in unison.

Scarlett kicked the back of his leg, causing him to fall onto his knees and Azura placed her dagger against his throat.

"OW! Why'd you hit me again?", he turned his sight to Scarlett. But she said nothing.

"Wife... I've made a mistake. Pl-please forgive me!", he pleaded.

"Forgive you?", Scarlett asked.

She, too, placed her blade against his neck, "And release you to terrorize the innocent women of this world?"

"Today. I will kill you!", Scarlett announced.

But before her sword could swipe his neck, Azura's dagger forced the sword away from Brutus' neck.

Dagger and sword, clashed once again. "How will you explain his death to your father? How are you going to explain to the Amethyst family? Are you willing to start a war?", Azura reminded her.

"If you don't tell me where Crimson is, I will kill this man!", Scarlett threatened.

Azura lowered her dagger, "Alright, I'll tell you... ... I pushed him to the bottom of Fractured Sky Valley."

Scarlett's eyes widen as the sword fell from her hand. Without saying a word, she turned around and sprinted away.

Brutus stood up and smiled, "Thank you".

Azura's cold gaze turned to him, causing a freezing chill to rise up his spine. "Leave before I cut your throat", she said.

Fear struck his face as he, too, sprinted out of the tavern.

* * *

It was now night fall. The lights were all out, as it was time for everyone to go to bed. Well... not all lights were out. A single torch remained lit as it moved swiftly through the yards of the Temple of Heroes.

The torch rested in the hand of a guard, and behind that guard, a few more followed. "Freeze!", "Stop, right there!", the guards yelled.

Kyanos ran through the yards of the temple with a big smile on his face. The guards chased after him closely.

He ducked in through a window and listened to the footsteps of the guards run by. He sighed in relief, "Lost em'". But he looked up to see Bulwark and Nizar, each with a group of guards standing on either side of him. He heard the window shut and lock from behind.

"Lets see where you can run!", said Bulwark.

Kyanos let out a forced smile, "Heyyyy, Bulwark. Remember the time we drank wine together? How about letting all of this go, huh?"

"I will make you a side dish to enjoy with my wine by morning!", Bulwark yelled.

Kyanos laughed, "My meat is smelly. If you do that, you'll just ruin the flavor of the wine."

Nizar became impatient, "Stop with the nonsense. Arrest him!"

The guards charged at Kyanos, in this small hallway. There was nowhere to run.

Kyanos had very little room to move around, so the margin for error was slim to none. Each move he made was with incredible precision, swiftly sliding past the blades, rather than dodging them. He striked only at the points of the body that will temporarily immobilize the guards. His speed and skill were something to behold.

As soon as Kyanos saw an opening, he made a run for it.

The guards, who were able to, chased after him.

Kyanos arrived at an open room where he immediately noticed strange metal chains hanging from the ceiling. Before he could exit the room, guards entered through all openings.

Nizar and Bulwark entered right behind them and joined the fray.

Kyanos let out a smile and leaped for the ceiling. He grabbed a hold of the chain and started to swing around in circles, waving his feet around wildly.

The guards stayed away, afraid to come near him without understanding his intent.

The chain came loose from the ceiling, causing Kyanos to fall to the ground, landing on his rear. "Ow", he said, holding his butt.

Nizar and Bulwark saw an opening and charged without hesitation.

With his hands, Kyanos pushed and slid back a few inches, spreading his legs to the side. The swords came down right between his legs. He then rolled backwards and sprung into his feet.

"That was a close one", he smiled, nervously. He grabbed the chain and whipped at any guard who would come near him. Then he swung the chain in circles, over his head.

No one dared to come near that spinning chain because any kind of contact could split their bones.

Suddenly he threw the chain at Bulwark and Nizar, causing them dodge to the side.

When they looked up, Kyanos was gone. "Not playing anymore!", they heard his voice yell out.

"He went that way!", one of the guards announced.

"After them!", Bulwark commanded.

Kyanos ran for a few minutes and smiled. He may have truly escaped this time.

But as he took a step forward, the blade of a sword appeared across his throat.

His eyes followed the blade to the hand that held it. It was Scarlett. "Hello, my fiancee-, Oh shoot", he fixed himself, "Princess".

She said nothing. He smiled, "Uhh... can we discuss this for a moment?... Actually, you can kill me. Just take me to a more brighter, open area, I am quite allergic to small and dark places."

She lowered her sword, "Come with me."

She silently led him to a small, deserted yard of the temple.

She approached a statue in the corner of the yard and turned a hidden knob, revealing a secret entrance in the wall.

She turned around to him, "Twenty meters, turn right, and this tunnel should lead you straight to End Province. I have prepared a horse and rations on the other end, hurry and go."

"Why are you saving me?", he asked.

"I am not quite sure", she thought out loud.

She continued, "I know you're not a bad person... besides... were we not betrothed once?"

He smiled, "I don't know how to repay you."

"How about a little honesty?", she asked.

"Fine. What do you want to know? All of my answers will be the truth", he responded.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Kyanos"

"Kyanos?"

He smiled, "Yes. Kyanos, the color between the green fields of grass and the blue skies".

She nodded, "You are exceptionally skilled, who is you teacher?"

"Oh him? He's really secretive and would prefer I not talk about him", he replied.

"I can already guess who it is. Eljin, inventor of the Soaring Blades Technique. Am I correct?", she stated.

He smiled, "You really are knowledgeable."

She thought for as second and wondered, "You are the disciple of the Invincible Eljin, there is not a force in all of this temple that could stop you. Sex, wealth, fame. Whatever it is you seek, you should have the ability to take it... What is it that you want?"

He laughed. "I want fun... Would you like to hear a story?"

She agreed with a nod, "Tell me".

He told her story: "Years ago, there was a child who stole an iron spoon from a store, the store owner punished him by locking him in a very small, dark room. The room was very dark and narrow. The only light was from a small gap in the door, where the owner would insert bread and water."

"The owner was quite cruel", Scarlett commented.

Kyanos nodded, "That child was in that room for nearly a month before his teacher broke through the door and saved him".

"What happened to the child, afterwards?", she asked.

"He was fine. He slept and ate as usual, but he developed a strange disorder. He grew terribly claustrophobic. Small and dark areas made him uncomfortable, to the point where he couldn't even breath."

"There's one thing I don't understand", said Scarlett.

"What?", he asked.

"Kids steal food and toys. But this kid suffered so much, over a spoon. Doesn't that seem like a waste to you?", she asked.

"Before I leave, I would like to leave you a gift", he said, reaching into his sleeve.

He revealed a small dagger and smiled, "This was my very first Soaring Blade. It was made from an iron spoon".

She took the small dagger into her hand and inspected it. The blade was very small and was about the length of a finger. The small grip of the dagger was wrapped in a cyan colored string. She was astounded and asked herself, could the mastery of the Soaring Blade Technique turn a small ordinary blade, like this, into an unstoppable weapon?

He laughed softly, "I was that child... and when I was a child, my teacher refused to teach me the Soaring Blades Technique. So I came up with the idea of stealing a spoon and making my own."

"You've kept this dagger with you for all these years?", she asked, sincerely.

He nodded, "This dagger has saved me numerous times, and it has saved the lives of countless people. It is worthless, but at the same time priceless".

He smiled, "There are alot of secrets in this world, but my secret is a small, dark room. I love to unlock every lock and open every single door, making the world more spacious and brighter and everyone's hearts more spacious and brighter. That is why I came to the Temple of Heroes."

"If that's the case, you've come to the wrong place. This place does not have any locked doors. It's already bright and spacious", she replied.

He laughed, "If you think so."

"Actually, when I thought you were Brutus Amethyst, I really could imagine us as husband and wife", she said.

"How was it?", he asked.

"Although I would have to surrender any notion of peace, I would probably still be happy with that", she smiled. She doesn't often smile but when she did, it was very beautiful. Her smile glowed brighter than the sun ever could. "You ability to woo women is very good", she gently punched him on the chest.

"Okay, princess. If there's ever a time where you feel unhappy, call me. I'll come running to turn that smile upside down", he replied.

"You have to go now... Good-bye, Kyanos", she said.

Before he could enter the tunnel, a large group of guards filled the yard, led by Bulwark and Nizar.

Brutus emerged from the crowd and pointed his sword at Kyanos, "I've got you, now!"

Kyanos smiled, "Really? Lets see what you got?"

Brutus laughed loudly, "Bring her out!"

"Let go of me!", Kyanos heard a familiar voice cry out.

From the back of the crowd of guards, Brutus' men shoved a tied up Aurelia to the front and place their blades against her neck.

Kyanos' smile slowly diminished at the sight.

"Kyanos! If you run away, I will throw her into the slave stables! I'm sure a pretty young girl, like this, will prove to be quite the entertainment for those lonely criminals", Brutus said laughing menacingly.


End file.
